Every Thursday I listen to this great radio show with Michael Neill, an amazing and very thought-provoking life coach. I found out about him quite some time ago through the blog Creative Thursday, another place I find lots of inspiration, and he is really the perfect combination of reality and dreaming for me, and I think for a lot of other people.
Last week, Michael Neill told a little story about the Dalai Lama in which the Dalai Lama was being harassed by a reporter asking for a message for the people, and the Dalai Lama responded by saying, “My life is my message.” With this story as a spring-board, Michael Neill posed the following question:
Of course I can’t remember any of the actual stories, but Neill uses this question with his coaching clients and had many funny answers to share—things like “pretend I really like people and then take all of their money” or “say I want to make a difference and then do nothing.”
This question came up for me again today because it feels like the exact question I am trying to answer in my life right now. In reality, it is a question I hope to be wise enough to keep asking and answering all of my life. I think it really puts things in perspective. This question is why I am quitting my day-job to start doing art full time—I don’t want my message to be “complain and whine about how much I hate my job and then don’t do anything about it.”
I think we all have a lot of answers to this question, and as Neill went on to say, maybe a good follow-up question is “what would I like my message to be?” It sounds really interesting to me to use the answer to this question to help figure out what actions you want to take. This question could be a framework for making decisions and living the life you want to live, even on a small level.
I just wanted to share this with you because I think it is such an expansive thought that will always lead to beautiful things! I would love to read your answers! Comment away!
Wait . . . I never answered either of the questions myself!
I’m not quite sure what my message is right now—I think I’m in transition, and I think there are many different messages from different parts of my life.
I would like my messages to be a lot of things: do what you love, have faith, be calm, open your heart, appreciate being alive, anything is possible, give of yourself.
Right now I’m proud of my message. I think it would be “Do what you love, even if you have to do it for free.”
I love that message—it’s so great!