The Lucky Ones

Who will be lucky ones that make it all the way?

So much of our human nature clings to this notion that only the chosen one becomes King or that only a select few achieve greatness. The rest of us are meant to cheer them on from the sidelines, perhaps in envy or in awe. We shrink in the shadow of personal power as if it’s a disease we might catch. If we step up, we may have to show our strength and somehow we think that makes us vulnerable.

I believe that each of us has an intense anticipation of when our secrets will be revealed and everyone will know our greatness. We wonder when we will be that Lucky One. It’s not so much about success as it is about our need to show the world what we came here to do.

For me it is a tumultuous tossing and turning of thoughts, ideas and dreams. I find myself saying, “if” and “when”, keeping an arm’s length from the action and I drive myself crazy with the longing for it. There are moments of course, like little burst of sunshine on a cloudy day when I let my light shine. But eventually the clouds come back and cover the beams of my true self from getting through and making a positive difference in the world.

I compare the realization of the soul’s purpose to being carried away on waves in the ocean as they crash into the shore. Much like our human capacity for greatness, the ocean waves possess enormous possibility. The waves are swift and powerful as they slam against the shore and then slowly retreat back into the vast abyss of the ocean. Their power is lost. I imagine that we feel just as lost in our own faults and inadequacies when we lose an opportunity to reveal our truth. We are swept back into the great expanse of the ocean as if we have no right to conquer the shore. In this ocean of other people we allow ourselves to conform to the sameness and predictability of the current of life. We ebb and flow in mediocrity by telling ourselves that only the lucky ones make it all the way. We are pacified by the accomplishments of others and lulled to complacency by a positive quote or an inspirational video.

Yes, that shoreline is beautiful from here and this meme reminds me so.

The trick to not being lulled into spiritual slumber is taking advantage of the thousands of opportunities we have to fully express ourselves every single day. As that wave hits the shore, we have a thousand chances to grab ahold of our lives and find our purpose. As we get thrust upon the beach, we can feel the sand beneath our feet. For fleeting seconds, we feel the strength of our lives connected to something solid.

Everyone is on a journey, floating around in the vast sea of this human experience. Some people, through circumstance or soul grouping stay in the center ring, buffered by the others, lulled to sleep by the rhythmic push and pull. They don’t crash into anything and life has a predictability where they slumber, never seeking that sandy beach.

Other people, like us, are closer to the shore, we feel the undulating waves pulling at our feet. Life for us is being slammed into the shore by things like illness, death, divorce and lies. But we are often so busy keeping our heads above water that we don’t see the opportunity to use those experiences to deepen our connection to our soul. If only we could stay on the shore long enough, lucid and awake to plant a seed or gather sticks for a life boat.

That is really what the spiritual journey is, keeping our eyes open long enough to find the tool that helps us, the lesson that guides us or the truth that aligns us.

If I could give you any advice on this journey it would be this; when you feel that wave dragging you away from the shore and you want to close your eyes and surrender, instead of riding it out, kick your feet. Kick your feet as hard as you can. Swim against the tide that so desperately wants to bring you back into the middle and engulf you in sameness. Truly great people are not the ones that happen upon prestige or a title, they are the ones that have battled their way to the destination and held on for dear life through the storm. They are the ones that find the lesson in the worst of circumstances and then teach others to do the same. They dig deep each and every day and show up as their authentic selves with a smile on their face and their soul draped on their sleeves.

So you see, it is not about luck at all.