Purpose and Inspiration

The big news story this week was the passing of Steve Jobs. His life and work has been in my mind a lot, as it seems it has been for many, many people.  A popular point of reference to his beliefs has been the commencement address in 2005 at Stanford University. A few of his points have been resonating with me as I embark on this adventure of mine. I want to share them with you and how they're shaping  and reinforcing this work in movement I will be teaching.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

Well, this is pretty straightforward but something I so believe in. Yes, a decent day job is required right now and probably for quite a few years, but this goal of being a movement instructor/coach/choreographer is a major passion. So much so I can feel it pouring out of me at times. I do have this idea, this instinct, of what my life looks like, and I will do what I need to in order to meet that ideal. And I do have to be realistic that it will not be easy and that it will take time and work, but I will not settle into oblivion and not puruse what I know is my purpose.

 Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

  

Growing up, gut instinct got me everywhere. That feeling of certainty about life has diminished quite a bit for various reasons, however, there are things that I know to be true, and this work in the movement field is it. I try to keep an ambitious and open mind about how it will all come together, but I realize I am taking a leap of faith with each move I make. I even look to my future and see a yoga certification, another movement certification through Columbia College, and possibly becoming a movement therapist, because I see all of the dots connecting down the line, but who knows where this will all REALLY take me. That's what the journey is all about!

Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

I don't mean to be dramatic either by adding this quote in it's entirety, but dammit, it's true. I know for a fact I would not have applied for this program on a whim had it not been for personal loss in my life. The journey I have been on through my program and post-program has helped me to cope and helped to give me greater purpose. Life is hard but making your life and your life's work matter become so increasingly important. Once again, not to be too deep and dramatic, but I do believe these things to be true. If there is any way I can help people to find themselves through movement, then that's what I want to do. 

Thanks for listening!