Meet my friend, Jodie Niles! – Paving the Way for Purpose on Our Journey

Hello All!

I have met this wonderful woman on twitter, and I LOVE the things she has to share. Here is her most recent blog, along with a link where you can learn more about Ms. Niles.

Enjoy your day! (:

tam

Journeys with Jodie

Paving the Way for Purpose on Our Journey

Many of us ask the question: “What is my purpose in life?” and then spend our entire life trying to attain it. I truly believe we are all born with an innate sense of what we are meant to do, whether we are conscious of it or not. It’s about listening to messages, recognizing signs and learning lessons through our journey that lead us to all the right places at the right time for things to fall into place as they were intended. I believe that while we have to take some action, a lot of our purpose comes from within…just envisioning what we are passionate about is part of making our dream a reality. Many things can get in our way – fear, doubt, judgment from others, to name a few – but in the end, it’s our own choice to move ahead and do what we are called to do, to pave the way for our own potential.

Personally, I not only want to live my purpose and experience all the joys that come with it during this lifetime; I also want to leave a legacy that lasts years beyond my mortal existence on this planet. Having been in a bit of a “stuck” place on my journey lately (one involving more “being” than “doing,” a place of reflection and processing), I’ve had a lot to think about. I’ve always known I wanted to leave a legacy behind, to be called a legend when I’m gone…even if on a small scale. It’s not about the ego, but about making such a difference that it lasts generations beyond me, to know that the work that I did in this lifetime carries on and continues to impact others who follow.

As a writer and highly emotional/sensitive person, this last month has been very difficult for me as I have had to process an array of intense emotions. I was blocked in my writing, laid low and though I felt a lot, I could not always articulate it, nor have the energy to do anything about it. However, it was the death of my aunt and most recently Michael Jackson which got my passionate juices flowing again, and here I am now, to talk about life, legends and legacies.

All of the artists that have paid respects and spoken of Michael have claimed the same thing: “he’s a legend, a genius, someone that will never be forgotten.” We’ve all seen his abilities and heard his music. Everything from on-stage performances, directing and choreography to posing for photo shoots, not to mention decorating his own home illustrate his immense talents. Michael’s own words were, “I put all I have into my work.” He did this because it meant more than just going through the motions: it meant leaving a lasting impression and having an impact far beyond the present moment. Having things on paper and video are permanent proof of one’s work, and offers others the chance to experience it forever. Years from now people will watch and listen to him and experience what we have had the privilege of experiencing during our lifetime. I think Michael hit the nail on the head when he said that he put everything into his work. As I’ve said many times in my life, we aren’t here just to survive, but to THRIVE. And when you have gifts, you must use them for the greater good.

Look at others like Madonna (yes, I’m using pop icons as examples in this blog) who refused to back down from her own potential – instead, she worked hard to get noticed, make connections, learn and hone her skills and get in proper shape to reach her dreams. She shares many of Michael’s talents, such as singing, song-writing, dancing, choreography, authoring books, even directing and producing as well as acting. All of Michael’s videos weren’t just about singing – they went deeper. They were about substance and held a positive message. They told a story. They served a purpose, other than entertainment.

The month of June 2009 was one of great loss, personally and I venture to say, universally. My family experienced a death, friends around me lost family members, news was told of various celebrities passing, and the list goes on. As a result, I feel heaviness in my heart and in the world right now. We’ve been left face to face with the stark reality of how this forces all of us to examine and view our lives on a deeper level, to take a harder look at ourselves… to dare and ask: What legacy do we want to leave? What are we doing with our lives? Better yet, what are we not doing? And what do we want to be doing?

Perhaps we want to or need to pay homage to those who’ve mentored and inspired us in our lives, those who’ve made a difference in shaping who we are today. Maybe it’s telling significant and important people that we love them. It may simply mean really wanting to live out our dreams and begin to take them more seriously and hold ourselves more accountable for our actions, or lack thereof. Maybe seek a better relationship with our parent, child or spouse; perhaps be better understood by another, or to tell people we are close to how we feel before it’s too late.

All the things that MJ stood for (making things happen, envisioning and acting upon change in the world, breaking barriers, thinking globally, challenging discrimination and racism, being a humanitarian and philanthropist, keeping children in mind at all times, and thinking of how our future generations will be affected – ALWAYS thinking of the future and our impact on it) were exemplified through his God-given gifts and talents. He took risks, faced challenge after challenge in his life, yet still his love prevailed over his fears. How are WE all doing that in our lives? How are we responding to his death, or the death of those close to us? And why does it take death to make us stop and really think about life? Even then, does it have a strong enough lasting effect before we go right back to where we were? Death is a time for us to not only mourn those who’ve passed, but a chance for us to celebrate our own life and regroup, re-focus and rebound in a positive way.

Why so much death at one time? I feel the world is being forced to gear itself up for something huge here. What does this mean to all of us? Why do I feel so strongly moved right now? So emotionally touched? Is it because I’ve had no choice but to have death all around me, as many of us have had? Is it a message that is being shoved in our face and hearts so that we finally take notice, take action?

For someone like Michael Jackson, who was like a soundtrack to my childhood, with whose music I can connect to significant chapters in my life and whose songs conjure up memories on the spot, it’s a collective response that I believe a lot of the world shares with me. I connected and identified with MJ because of his artistic abilities and because I could feel and see the passion, inspiration and meaning behind everything he did and said. He also reflected a huge amount of compassion, and that is what I feel for him. Somebody blessed with that much brilliance and yet cursed with so much suffering and pain. How many people like this do we know, including ourselves? Is this not part of our personal journey toward defining and living our purpose?

We all know there’s a lot of violence out there in the world. And we know that we’ve battled and continue to battle our own issues in life. It seems the world as a whole is always on the defense about something, rather than focusing on love and pure intentions. We are facing our own obstacles every day, as Michael did. What are we doing to overcome them and use our gifts/realizations for the good of all? So many levels are touched when a tragedy occurs (and I don’t just mean Michael, although someone of his status brought the world into a collective mourning). How many of us want to live our gifts and end our pain, but find so many reasons/excuses not to?

It’s sad when anyone dies. Experiencing the first death in my family this past month hit me on a lot of levels, and I found it interesting to observe how my family dynamics worked around it, how everyone reacted. It got me to thinking, “how well do we really know one another and what we stand for?” I was shocked at the sad reality that we often do not, indeed, know others as much as we could – therefore, connection is often lost, purpose not always on track. I’ve heard of many celebrities passing throughout my lifetime, but again, nothing of this caliber. Both my aunt (who passed away after a two-year battle with cancer) and Michael, not to mention countless others were too young to die, in my opinion (and in Michael’s case, perhaps on account of incompetent doctors). My aunt’s death and the deaths of my friends’ family members, feels unnecessary. Farrah Fawcett’s battle with cancer is another great example. In the case of MJ, here’s a guy whose emotional suffering and trauma was too much for him to handle. Another Elvis scenario all over again, and one we may never know the entire truth about.

I look at all of these people that we were blessed to share the earth with for just this short amount of time and I honestly feel my own mortality like never before. I have no idea what it would be like if I died, but I’d like to know that I left something behind. Something that made a difference, as I believe everyone who has passed did. My aunt left a legacy in her teaching, by impacting the lives of students, as well as her own family. Michael left a legacy that will carry on, no doubt, for generations to come. Life is a blink of an eye and we get but a glimpse of our time on earth before it’s gone.

I think of the words of wisdom my aunt left with her students (lessons on how to be successful and happy in life, how to stay true to yourself), and I think of the lyrics behind many of Michael’s songs (from gangs and ghettos and standing up for yourself, to taking the positive road, even dating, racism, global connection, man’s connection with nature and animals, concern for children and bringing out the little boy in him that had so long been lost). I see him trying to be a father figure to children that he wanted to save from what he went through. I think all that was passed on to family members left behind in this month of June 2009 all across the world and anyone before and after.

In some instances, such as my aunt and Farrah’s, a battle with cancer is beyond our control and an awful thing to deal with. We can only try to understand it. For others like Michael, we see a pattern of self-destructive behaviors that lead to their demise. In either case, it’s a tragedy, and those that love them can only stand by and watch. It brings me to the realization that there are people alive in our lives that also carry on self-destructive patterns and /or never reach their full potential, and it makes me feel that much stronger about my purpose in helping people.

Through all this heaviness and heartache, I’ve been feeling my own purpose gaining more momentum and strength. I’ve been listening more, resisting less and having the courage to take what may feel like risky steps just to “be who I am” on a daily basis, working toward what I know is the legend that I want to leave. For me, it’s the written and spoken words. My blogs, my books in progress, my future speaking endeavors, the groups that I’ve led which have helped me to both give and receive support and understanding, a higher learning).

And as I ponder my own purpose, I ask you to really decide if you are paving the way along your journey every day, working hard to create what you want to leave behind, to make a lasting difference, or are you letting something get in the way? Now is the time. Not tomorrow. Not once you have “more time” to do what you really want to do because of the “shoulds” that you need to get done first. Not when that check comes in or when you’re able to get a promotion or move or lose 20 pounds. Not when you “get that break” or meet the right person or have that degree or “get over your issues.” Perhaps those are components, steps along the way…but those things are what are leading you along your path right TO your purpose. It’s RIGHT NOW that you are LIVING your LIFE and in every moment you have the opportunity to BE the legacy that you are and were meant to be. In every action, every word and every thought, you are creating. I challenge you to create and live your legacy beginning NOW!