Joining the dots to happiness:

Throughout March I took it upon myself to wander down the path of my past to show that making more of a connection to self and others, real connection, not just via social media, can make a life or death difference, literally and figuratively. The following is what I was shown.

Random Reveal # 1

A few weeks ago I took my daughter surfing at Bondi. We had a couple of hours there so she could practice her new-found passion. We had time to surf, we had time for photos on the beach, I had time to write a moderately wordy verse and post it to Facebook alongside the obligatory selfie.

I told myself as we were leaving we did not have time to call in on my elderly aunt who I knew was not well … I told myself we had to get back home in time to pick up my younger daughter.

My aunt died two weeks later. I didn’t go and see her and I was only two kilometres away. I should have gone and seen her. If I had time for selfies, social media and sun, I had time for her. “You always have time to get done what’s important to you” is one of my husband’s sayings.

Ms Hindsight. What a slap-in-the-face-wake-up-call she can be. A true lesson in priorities. Social media, you are fun, but you’re being relegated in the ranks of priorities.

Random Reveal # 2

Me (2011): I have something to tell you. I have discovered that my real passion lies in writing. I love writing.

My Coach: That’s lovely, but you can’t make a living on writing. You’re going to have to come up with something else to support the writing as there is no money in it. You need to do A, B, C and D in this format and in that way.

Me (with a word that would place me on the outside of my soul, looking in, for the next 3+ years): Okay.

This coach did want me to succeed. They spoke to me from their own perception which was never wrong, but it was only one perception of one way to one form of success. What I failed to do at the time was fully define and work toward my own definition of success, that white hot burning joyous desire to write.

I can see since then that just like my relationship with Facebook and social media in general, I’ve continued that path of defining success, recognition and significance by numbers, even though at core I know the following to be my truth - success can only be measured by the heart. The more joyous the heart, the more successful you are.

I had been figuratively wilting, disconnected because I had made the choice to go against who I truly was.

That has now thankfully ended.

Other Warm n’ Fuzzy Stuff #1

Have you seen The Theory of Everything?  I cannot tell you how much I loved this movie, and one particular scene at the end during Stephen Hawking’s speech at Cambridge University. He says:

“We are all different. There is no such thing as a standard or run of the mill human being -- but we share the same human spirit. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope.”

At that moment I saw how differently the soul and ego defined success.

“Your success is sitting right next to you,” said the voice of conscience. I turned to look at my husband Frank sitting there in the dark cinema as emotion and realisation appeared with a ‘For God’s Sake You’re Slow!’ look on their faces as they stage whispered “He is your success. This love is purposeful, this love brings you so much joy. He is your success!”

If success (and I now believe this to be true) is the ability to reside in a high vibrating joyous state, then I have been wildly successful for the last three and a half years.

This has led me to wonder, what successes are we missing in the pursuit of one particular obsessive dream, definition or idea of success? Are we defining success based on one path to joy or all paths to joy?

Other Warm n’ Fuzzy Stuff # 2

It was amusing to watch the Law of Attraction at play today after intention, emotion and action were brought together to reconnect to core. This place of desired alignment seems to provide clearer channels for receiving. I am not getting in my own way by imposing conditions on happiness and success, simply going home, reconnecting and realigning.

What I believed to be stagnant situations have come to life again. I believe coincidences are merely God-winks to say ‘welcome home, you’re on the right track, we’ve got your back’.

Until next time, notice the success that surrounds you. It’s in everything that makes your heart smile and your soul sing.