Don’t You Know I Was Born To Fly?
“Do not settle for less than exactly what you want. Your heart’s desires are there for a reason. Chase them. Pursue them relentlessly. Do not lose sight of your goals. They are your very reason for being” – Franki Durban
As a little girl I learned that other people didn’t like you if you were too smart, and knew all of the answers. I learned that if the teacher was wrong, that you couldn’t correct them, even though they were teaching something that wasn’t true. As a little girl I learned that it was safer to be invisible. I learned to settle for what I got and not to ask for something better. It wasn’t that they might say no, it was that they might take back the little I had just got. Even so, deep down inside I knew that I was worth more than I was receiving.
I also learned that those who were supposed to love you, would let you down. I learned that I couldn’t trust them to do what they promised. I learned that even though they said they loved me, I couldn’t trust them. I understood that even though I might know someone my whole life, I didn’t really know them al all. I learned that people that I thought would never hurt me, could and would crush my soul. I learned that even with the best intentions in the world, the people you care about will fall short. And I learned that this had to be ok. I learned to love them for who they were, and not what my expectations of them wanted them to be.
“Some people are settling down, some people are settling, and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies” – Sarah Jessica Parker
It took me years to undo the programming of being less, and settling for less than who I am. I decided one day that I wanted to feel alive every waking moment, no longer hiding in the shadows afraid to be noticed. That I wanted to have a passionate life, full of experiences. That I wanted to shape what was left of my life into wonderful memories. That I wanted to be a part of making my own world a better place. No more just existing, but rather celebrating my life by constantly being “all in”. I wanted friends that laughed with me, not at me. I wanted good deep conversations about things that mattered. I wanted to be able to share my dreams and have them ask, “how can I help you?”
“Don’t downgrade you dream just to fit your reality. Upgrade your conviction to match your destiny” – Unknown
You are more than enough to go all out, and pursue every dream that you have. Your abilities are not something that you have to hide from, that you have to be scared of. No one should be afraid to be the magnificent person that God made them to be. As Franki said, the hearts desires are there for a reason. It is your very reason for being.
“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary” – Jim Rohn
No one should settle for the ordinary, hum drum existence. The habit of working all day to make an employer rich. The habit of crashing on the couch and watching TV until you go to bed – only to repeat it day after day.
“You can’t run away from who you are. But what you can do is run toward who you want to be” – From Ghost, Jason Reynolds
What you will discover in life is that just being smart, attractive, or physically strong is not enough. That being talented and gifted isn’t enough. That degrees in your chosen education are not enough. They will all get you so far and no further. There must also be a spiritual strength to hold you when everything else fails. When life strips away all of your identities you need spiritual strength to survive. You need spiritual strength to develop the capacity to examine the real you that was left lying face down in the mud.
“If you do not work passionately (even furiously) at being the best in the world at what you do, you fail your talent, your destiny, and your God” – George Lois
This is when the new door opens to you. It is not just that something new is entering your life. It is that your life is becoming something new. Then it is important to remember a vital life truth – the way you meet an ending impacts your new beginnings. Release the need for life to be perfect. Demanding perfection makes these life changes irritating, like a scratchy wool sweater it just makes you uncomfortable and frustrated.
Risk the unusual and pursue a dream. Go for more. This “settling” is not what God put you on this earth for. You are not the kind of person who settles. Listen for what is calling your soul. Create intentions that connect you to that calling. Use emotional language in creating your intentions that connect your thoughts, feelings and desires to the souls calling. Create the possibility of focused change and transformation. Honor who you are by saying yes to everything that forms that connection and saying no to anything that distracts from it.
“Words reveal your beliefs and intentions. Actions reveal your character. When they are in alignment, they reveal your greatest life” – Dr. Steve Maraboli
Look at your life in this present moment – What is it that thrills you? If you can’t answer that question in one second it is time to take a deeper dive into how you are currently writing your life story. It is time to reconnect to your heart and soul. It is time to ask the deeper questions. Dig up your old dreams. Why did you abandon them? Do they still stir your imagination?
Trust the timing of what shows up in your life. There always comes a time, when you realize that you have been sleeping through your life. You discover that you have been drifting with wherever the current takes you. It’s time to take the wheel back, and get back on purpose. You have just been given a wake up call. Trust that it is happening for a reason. Don’t push the snooze button and miss the call because you overslept.
“There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less” – Kurt Hahn
No more settling. Pursue a passionate life. That is our true destiny. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.
