Life Defining Moments

Do you ever ask yourself the question, "Why am I here?"? I am not talking about the superficiality of it, but deep down in the recesses of your very being.  I am talking about your ultimate and divine purpose for being on this planet, at this time, at this location, at this point in history.  I am talking about the big WHY.  Why are you here? What is your reason for living? When you are 90 years old, sitting on your rocking chair looking back on your life, what do you want to be proud of? What kind of life do you want to create for yourself and for generations to come? Are you happy with just sliding by under the radar or do you want to impact millions of lives for the next 500 years? Do you want to primarily focus on material wealth or is your mission to grow spiritually, mentally, and physically as well?  Are you looking to just have fun and satisfy your immediate cravings or are you looking to be a role model to lead, impact, and inspire the people around you; to be the kind of person that kids can aspire to be like?  While these questions are magnanimous in their depth, their undertaking is essential to you becoming the best you possible.  The answers to these questions become your roadmap in life.  These answers will inspire you when times are tough, and they will push you in times of complacency.

My belief is that we were all put here to fulfill a purpose in our lives.  I don't believe, however, this purpose is defined for us but that we have the opportunities to create the purpose in our own lives.  If you ever feel insignificant or there seems to be a lack of meaning, think of all the serendipitous events that have brought you to where you are or even near death experiences you've had, yet you are still here for some reason that only you can define for yourself.  I've had a few near death experiences that always come to mind when I start questioning my reason for being here. One such experience occurred on my way home driving from a full day of rock climbing in the beautiful mountains of Tennessee. At the time, I was in my last year of chiropractic school and was really looking forward to getting out of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta for a one day adventure in the wilderness.  The previous night I slept very little preparing for the rush and excitement of rock climbing.  The 1.5 hour drive to Tennessee is stunning and we could not ask for better weather.  It was a perfect day of adrenaline filled climbing.  At the end of the day, we decided to drive into the nearby city of Chattanooga for some food which was only about 25 minutes away.  Apparently, I was more tired than I thought after very little sleep the night before, lots of sun, and lots of mental and physical exertion.  As I'm driving in the far left lane of the highway, the only thing I remember is my friend in the back seat yelling as my eyes snapped open.  I was driving 85 mph in the grassy median separating the highway traffic.  As I came to, I attempted the drive the car back on the road when all off a sudden the car started to spin out of control across the lanes of the highway. The car was viciously shaking as I prepared for it to flip at any moment and send us tumbling across the highway like a tin can.  After what seemed like an eternity, we came to a complete stop, facing forward, out of the way of traffic, in the shoulder of the highway, perfectly placed in between the guardrail and the line separating the highway. Not only was there not even a scratch on any of the passengers, but there wasn't even a scratch on the car.  It is a moment I will remember and be grateful for for the rest of my life for two reasons.  The first is I will always be grateful for escaping from a seriously life threatening incident unscathed, and the second is that it was a pivotal moment in my life that really got me answering those tough questions I posed earlier.  The answers to those questions have yet to fully be answered, but it is moments like those that have led and continue to lead me on a path of self discovery. They continue to lead me on a path that is stock full of pleasurable and painful experiences, yet each one being absolutely essential to this journey of self discovery. This journey of developing my ultimate purpose in life so that I can impact humanity in the greatest way possible and leave a legacy I can be proud of.  Everyday I write more and more in the "book" that is my life.  Each day is a blank page and a pencil in my hand and with that, I get to to write a page in the "book" of my life.  Some days I feel like throwing away the paper and starting over, and other days I want to display it for the whole world to see.  But I am grateful for every day because with each page comes more clarity.  Each page is a new opportunity to grow, to reflect, and to redefine my life.  Each page allows me to ask myself new and empowering questions.  Each page allows me to tackle new frustrations and come to new empowering realizations.  Each page allows me to open up my heart to love and expand my consciousness to new levels.  If this process seems daunting and formidable; if this process seems like a life-long and challenging journey; it's because it is.  Who ever said life was easy anyway?