Something Fishy

In life there are those dream jobs, places to live and people that we spend so much time drooling over and building up in our minds.  We think, "Once I get a new job, life will be paradise," or "If I could become famous, all the things I would do."  The thing I've learned, over and over again... is that often when those dreams become reality, we are not satisfied.  We are left looking to those things, waiting for the joy they are supposed to bring, and that is where the disappointment begins.

I had a recent reminder of this.  I had gotten what I thought was my dream job.  From my title, to my coworkers, to the job itself, there was nothing in this world I could think of that was more perfect.  I was so excited!  "This is it," I thought, "I have manifested my perfect life, and now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor."  As I began my new job, I was still me, but as I began to look to it to make me happy and meet my expectations, I became less and less connected to me, and more and more disappointed.  Pretty soon, I was frustrated, and rather than doing MY best, I was doing the best I could in those circumstances.  Rather than staying true to myself, and my beliefs, I followed the crowd and did what they did at a detriment to my own well being.  Rather than stepping up and thinking outside of the box, I did what I needed each day... all the while waiting for my dream to step in and change things for the better..  By the end of it, I was disconnected and disappointed.  As I sat there looking at the ruins of my dream, I wondered, "Where did I go wrong?"

As I was reading a quote by Russell Simmons, it finally hit me.  

"Your purpose is to act on the resources God gives you. If God gives you a bucket of fish, you have to distribute those fish. If you don't, they're going to rot, attract a bunch of flies, and start stinking up your soul."

God had given me the fish, but rather than distributing them, I was busy celebrating them.  I kept staring hopefully at the bucket of fish waiting for them to do their job, when they were actually there for me to do mine.   Eventually, they did smell, and attract flies, then I had to get rid of them because they were only making things worse.  Rather than loving what I had by using it, I admired it and waited for it to love me... oppsie!

It is often easy to blame the things in our life for not making us happy, but when you look at it from this perspective, it is hard to blame the fish, for my lack of action.  Yes, the fish smelled, and attracted flies, but I kept the fish and watched as they rot, rather than putting them to use.  There is another quote from Russell Simmons that summed up what I took away from this:

"The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best."

One of the four agreements as well, it's the simple act of giving your best, that feels good.  Your best, is not my best, or his best, or what something says is best... it's your natural state, and when you're doing it, you love it!  In fact, that's what love is, doing... not waiting.  When life gives you lemons, take em and do your thing with em.  Whether it's lemonade, a margarita, or a pie... use em up your way... but use them for something you love!  

So if something's getting a little fishy in your life, don't forget that it's up to you to do something to keep things fresh!  God can send us a bus, but it's up to us to get on it... And when you do get on the bus, don't forget to enjoy the ride on your way to the fish market! ;-)

Today's Silver Lining

"Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air, I know I can count on you, Sometimes I feel like saying, 'Lord I just don't care' But you've got the love I need to see me through, Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough, And things go wrong no matter what I do, Now and then it seems that life is just too much, But you've got the love I need to see me through."  You've Got the Love- by Florence and the Machine