Finding Your Path
Life is short. At the end of the day, only one thing is guaranteed…we are one day closer to our death. When we forget or fear death, we become imprisoned by our own failure to act. When we treat every thought, word and deed as if they were our last, we become empowered to live in freedom to create a deeper, more meaningful life. It is by facing death that we learn how to truly live.
Michi (The Way) is a concept that places more focus on the path than the destination. People who live according to the principles of The Way create a meaningful destination or goal in life that they would like to achieve. Once the end goal is determined, however, it is dissolved from the mind and all attention is given to living in the present moment. Thus, we say that The Way is found in the journey and not the destination.
In a philosophical sense, the journey represents our life and the destination represents our death. This idea brings clarity to the fact that in any meaningful endeavor, the path must be savored and appreciated. If we wait to get to the destination before we allow positive feelings of happiness and satisfaction to surface, then it is going to be too late.
Happiness is found in the present moment because we know that we are living in a manner that will take us to a succesful destiny, an honorable death earned by living a life full of honor.
Life is lived in the here and now. Who we are at this very moment determines the outcome of our entire lives. When we make it our goal to live each day fully, then all of our goals will at once fall upon us. It is reaching for our goals without putting in the daily effort that creates failure in our lives. We succeed by taking action right here, right now.
Take a few minutes to answer the following questions:
What goals can I create for myself that would give me a sense of pride and accomplishment at the time of my death?
What am I doing right now that I would not be proud of at the time of my death? Commit to stop doing those things immediately.
What am I doing right now that I will be proud of at the time of my death? Commit to feeling happiness now for being on the proper path.
What more could I do, what new endeavor could I pursue that would create great honor at the time of my death? Commit to start applying effort in these areas today.
Read more about The Way here.
My Dear Sensei :
Your words remind me to do something for our fellow human beings.
This will give peace to your heart! I’m in Boston now and heading to Chicago tomorrow with my family. I’m going to a wedding in your city in Feb. Maybe we can see you and have dinner together.
Un abrazo Carnal!
“Happiness is found in the present moment because we know that we are living in a manner that will take us to a successful destiny, an honorable death earned by living a life full of honor.” …beautiful words Michael. Again, thank you for shedding light, the simplicity, and of course, dedication to your fellow human beings. This was a very inspiring read.
You are most welcome Isela…thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Wishing you all the best on this short journey called life.