What is a problem worthy of your life?
Last week I had an assignment for a seminar that I am in. The task was to answer the question, what is a problem worth my life? I loved this assignment because it made me get out of my little world and think big. As soon as I started thinking about the big topics that I am passionate about, my personal problems seemed small and insignificant, even silly. What a great way to put things in perspective.
In answering this question, I got a sense of what a profound experience parenting is for people. When a person has a child, they decide to take care of something bigger than themselves. Parents’ personal needs and goals are put into perspective and change as they constantly indulge their children. This is often what happens when people take on great causes in their life and commit to making changes. Martin Luther King and Gandhi are great examples of people who truly cared about the betterment of people and committed to their cause as if it were their son. As parents, they made personal sacrifices and made decisions for their lives based on the cause (child) they represented. I want to thank these great leaders for their commitment and sacrifice that they made for humanity. I also want to thank all the parents for their role and the sacrifices they have made for their children. Thanks! While thinking about a problem worthy of my life, I began to see these causes as my children. I thought about how I wouldn’t stop until I had done everything I could to contribute and make a difference. I would choose to make personal sacrifices for a great meaningful cause, greater than myself. Thinking and being in this space really moves and inspires me. I can imagine waking up every day feeling so motivated and passionate about making a difference.
Can you think of a problem worth your life? Something that if you knew you could make a difference, you would, something that inspires and excites you. Now we all have that cynical part of us that says disempowering things. I had these thoughts: “It doesn’t matter.” What can a person do? “” Besides, it would take a lifetime to fix it or more. “I’m sure you have similar thoughts too. But when you think about it, if we all lived our lives around a problem worthy of our lives, we would be an abundant world, compassionate and far more productive. Your ego-based needs would not dominate your thoughts and choices. They would constantly connect you to your source or higher self. of you who care about the betterment of humanity would express itself.
When I tried to identify the issues that I was passionate about, I had to go back to when I was a child and the things that really bothered me and that I wanted to do something about. I also looked at personal experiences that I had to overcome and that I am truly passionate about helping others overcome. World peace and personal empowerment are two things that occurred to me and that I would give anything to improve in my life.
I also started thinking about how I could make this a more realistic and practical lens. I am not going to lie; At first, I thought to myself that these problems were so great, and I began to feel overwhelmed and helpless. But then I realized that those feelings made me want to avoid problems altogether because I didn’t like feeling helpless. So the next step I decided to take was to think of one little thing I can do now to meet that goal. So I investigated organizations that already face these problems. Then I looked for opportunities where I could contribute. I sent emails to the organization asking how I can contribute to their cause. Honestly, it was very easy and to think that I was going to give up. All it took was searching for a website and sending an email to get started. All of that took about 5 minutes.
The reason I took you with me on this trip to answer this question was because I saw how quickly I was going to give up. I wanted to avoid dealing with this problem and not answer the question. I felt too overwhelmed and helpless. I recognized that we all have these feelings of helplessness. I know many people who feel so bad and helpless after watching the news and hearing the horrible things that happen. I repeatedly find conversations in which people share with me their despair for the suffering world. There is another side to all this. Contributing and making a difference is part of who I am and my purpose and of all of us. We all have an innate passion and a desire to contribute. You have a problem that you feel so strong about and you would love to see a change. You may have forgotten or avoided it, but it’s up to you. This is why you get so angry when you read and watch the news. You don’t want people to suffer, it causes you pain.
Recognize that you have the ability to give your life to something greater than yourself and worth your life. Think of a person who has already done remarkable things. For me, Oprah is a person who I consider extraordinary and who has achieved a lot for humanity. I love the effect she has on me, she brings out my compassion and generosity. If Oprah doesn’t have that kind of effect on you, think of people like Gandhi or Martin Luther King who contributed to the world greatly. The fact is that they were humans like you, they had the same internal faculties as you and they did great things in the world.
We all have the ability to make a difference in the world and be like these great leaders. The only thing that blocks you is your limiting beliefs about yourself. You lack the confidence in yourself and the belief in yourself that you can be great and do great things in the world. If you’re like me, you’ve put people like Oprah on a pedal stool, believing they are superior to you. Believe that they have skills that you lack. The only difference between you and them is that your thoughts and beliefs about yourself make you play small. Those leaders were not stopped by their thoughts and fears. They also knew that what they stood for was bigger than themselves and it wasn’t about their personal success. You are capable of doing great things in the world, in fact you are made to do great things. However, your mind gets in the way and distracts you from that truth.
Leaders like Oprah started where you are; she wasn’t born great, she made her life work great. She took on causes that were greater than her and worthy of her life. Everyone has the power and passion to contribute in a way that exceeds ego, succeed, and look good. It comes from your soul and you feel alive when you get in touch with it.
Your Homework: This exercise is designed to get you in touch with that passionate side of contribution that excites you. 1. What problem is worth your life? Go back to your childhood and think about what used to really upset you and what you wanted to fix or change. Also think about the difficulties you have had to overcome in your own life and would love to help others solve them. 2. If you knew that you could not fail, what cause would you defend? Imagine that money, time, support, and fears weren’t a problem. 3. Who would need to BE to achieve that? List the qualities and ways of being that you consider necessary to make a difference. 4. Take a small action step now / soon. Start by looking for organizations that are already working on a cause that you are passionate about. See if there is an opportunity for you to contribute. I know you may think I don’t have time to volunteer so I will donate money. Although that is very generous of you, I want to invite you to take the opportunity to be the person you dreamed of being. Be the person who makes a difference in the world by dedicating your time and energy to their cause. Go beyond contributing financially and give yourself the gift of experiencing bondage and making a difference.
Copyright (c) 2007 Melisa Milonas LLC