#lifelessons101 – We have all we need inside to create a beautiful life for ourselves and make the world a better place. (With Bruce Almighty, seriously!)

 (This friday includes Life lessons from five people- some of whom you wouldn’t expect to be teachers!)

It’s been a busy week. My first full week back at uni college since, well since the dark ages. My head is full of analysing danish literature, newspapers and trying to keep up with the written work in a foreign language. In reality I am exhausted.  (So please excuse the rambling nature of this post – stick to the end I promise it will be worth it!)

Now with all of this I have still been looking forward to the beautiful time of autumn equinox, when the sun and moon, day and night balance. This is the time when the seasons turn and we step into the full beauty of autumn. I can see it around me. The leaves are green and brown. The land golden and green. Around me the world is in the midst of change.

Change. A scary but essential and absolute fact of life. Everything changes. Constantly. A long time I used to think that change was awful. It made me feel unsafe. However that was in the time before I began to understand that I am actually the choreographer of my life. For me this understanding has come in stages in fact a new teaching/reminder came just last night from where? The universe? (Well yes, but not exactly.) It came from Bruce Almighty!

Bruce reminded me of the point of understanding I have reached to make change my friend.  I  now understand and accept that I have everything I need to make any change I need or want in my life. In fact I have the power to do anything I want to do. I am the co creator of my life, Me and the universe dancing together.

When I started to think about how I learnt this it surprised me and I think it will surprise you to see who the main five people are that have made me so happily aware of my own power!

 

Lesson number 1: Michael Jackson. Flash back to the 80s and there am I sitting in my room with my, oh so cool white stereo, playing a new album (On cassette, we dinosaurs did not have cds or mp3s or spotify!) by Michael Jackson. Blaring out across my the room was “ The man in the mirror” again and again. If you have never heard this song then go listen. The only bit I can  ever remember is the chorus,

I’m Starting With The Man In

The Mirror

I’m Asking Him To Change

His Ways

And No Message Could Have

Been Any Clearer

If You Wanna Make The World

A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself, And

Then Make A Change

 

Even today it still gives me goose bumps. Now whatever your opinion is of Jacko, in these words he is unquestionably right. A certainty of life is that you have the power to completely change only one thing in this world. And that’s you. And from  the ripples of that change, the world around us changes.

Lesson number 2 : Ghandi. How could it not be, right? The immortal words “Be the change you want to see”. By changing us we reflect out into the world.  Showing it the way we want it to be. At first I took this mantra in relation to environmental protesting. E.g. How could I protest about human abuse of the Earth if I didn’t recycle. I still believe this to be true and do my best to live in a truthful and authentic way. But as the years have gone on I have understood the message much more internally. If I want the world to be a more beautiful place then it’s me that has to change my reaction to whatever life sends me.

Lesson 3: Buddah. Of course he was going to be in here. My A-level English teacher taught me one thing that has stayed with me for the rest of my life. (Well he taught me two things but don’t get me started on why Australian people should not analyse Chaucer and compare him with Freud. We will be here all day.) He taught me the story of how Buddha chose not to accept the gift of negativity. One day I will post up the story and link this article to it. But for now the message is that Buddha could have chosen to be angry or to not be affected by another person and he chose the latter.

Lesson 4: Jim Carey. I know Jim is not the first person that pops into mind when you say inspirational people changing my life (neither is Michael Jackson . I digress. You hopefully get my point). But Jim is inspirational for me. HAve you ever heard Jim speak about the law of attraction? If not do, university youtube means you can see this all night. At one event  Jim asks “ Are you aware that all of this is happening inside of you?” His speech was about intention and how through our attention we are the creators of our own experiences and our own lives. If we consciously react to a situation it is us that makes it good or bad. For example by missing the bus and having to walk to a destination to be on time is taken as a bad thing ,then believe me it’s going to be a bad walk. But if you choose to be grateful for the experience, notice the scenery and even discover a new route, then that journey will be fun and enlightening. It’s up to you how you create it.

And the ultimate, ultimate lesson which lead me to the best peace of mind I have ever known and wish I could share with the whole world, every single day. The last piece of the jigsaw which makes all change and life so very much easier. Well that I found out through a long, long journey but last night I got reminded of it again. As promised….

Lesson 5: Bruce Almighty. God and Bruce are talking in two different scenes. In the first  God is asked how he can permit all the suffering in the world God, the amazing Morgan Freeman; replies ”I don’t permit the suffering. You do. Free will. All the choices are yours.” It really is that simple. We have the choice. But the other scene? Now that really hammered it home to me . Again God and Bruce are talking I can’t remember or find the exact quote but it goes something like this. Bruce asks God what if he needs help? And God points out the problem with people is that they are always looking up for help when the solution lies within us. We have the power within us to solve any problem, create any change, survive any change, enjoy our lives, hate our lives and achieve anything we can dream.

 

Now , I know its tough. Butwhen you realise the amazing tool kit  you have inside of you. Understandings passed down the generations in your DNA. The achievements you have made and the disappointments you have survived. The teachings life has given you, even when the lesson comes from the most bizarre of sources. You will see that you have everything, no  you have so more than everything you need within you to make a wonderful life for yourself . And at the same time  you can also make the world a more beautiful place. 

(And next time you forget it turn to Jacko to remind you !! Have a fantastic weekend!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps