Scene: Awaken to a Sunny Los Angeles morning with opportunities and seconds placed before me; a time to free myself.
Of course I am headed to work and will be inundated with hours of production time, but the perspective I focus on possessing is liberating. A while ago, I began evaluating my life: how did I feel in mind, body and soul? How did I rate my life’s 6 F's (family, faith, fun, fitness, finances and obviously f@$&ing)? If I were to score lower in a certain category, how could I improve it within my life?
After months of questioning, I remembered a quote by Buddha which reads, "doubt everything, find your own light." Light bulb on with that moment’s epiphany! Had I subconsciously accepted many of society's norms without evaluating them within my own life?
By beginning to question more, I began to free myself - in soul, mind and body.
Free Your Soul
Years ago, I enrolled in a Concepts of God course that completely shattered the notion on who/what I thought God was. I am grateful it happened because it has allowed me years of spiritual discovery and enlightenment. Without it, I would not have been so awakened by other religions when I was granted the opportunity to traverse the world and be immersed within other cultures, other ideologies and other surroundings. It is incredibly freeing to understand another individual’s spiritual perspective – especially if it is completely different. By no means should we weigh spiritualness over religiousness or vice versa, but for me - questioning had ultimately become my emancipation. Last month, I finally arrived at the definition of who God is, and at this exact moment, I realize in fact, that my definition should be and will be ever-evolving because I am always growing and questioning the world.
Free Your Mind
How many men do you know that participate in activities such as cleaning, dancing, yoga and cooking? Unless your circumstances absolutely prevent you from participating, I do not understand why anyone would not want do these things. We should embrace the fact that gender roles are not like they once were, but still…
- Why would you not want to learn something new every day?
- Why would you not want to become more marketable and attractive to yourself, your family and the world?
- Why would you not head to a meditation class and lift your heart to the sky?
Speaking from experience, I once shunned these same activities because I listened to what was normal, but as I began to doubt things and find my own light, I began to free myself. I free myself through the child’s pose, I free myself by removing useless clutter within the physical capacities of my life, I free myself through experimenting with new recipes and ideas.
I free myself with the world of possibilities.
Free Your Body
People who knew me as a kid generally compared me to the child-version of a sumo wrestler. Yes, I was out of shape and extremely overweight with the never-ending desire to have another chocolate Oreo. In high school I lost all my weight, but many do not know I gained a significant amount of it back while I was in college (about 90%). My whole notion of dieting and exercise had been completely out of whack because I saw it as a task rather than a lifestyle.
About a year ago, I possessed the idea but lacked the focus, the commitment and the discipline. One day, I woke up and decided I would no longer allow myself to fret over my body image without me doing something about it. I began to free myself by eating many of the things I love in life including seafood, fruits and vegetables. I began to free myself by running to the tops of hills and canyons as a means of cancelling out the task of working out, and by reinforcing the emotions that come with standing atop beautiful sites such as Runyon Canyon overlooking the lights of Los Angeles.
I began to free myself by using my creativity to my advantage, by applying everything I have learned in life to new daybringings. I began to free my soul, my mind and my body.
Everyday is a new day to learn something new. We should strive to remain students of life even after the ages of adolescence. It is never too late to begin liberating yourself.
"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."
-Richard Bach
One Life, You Decide™
