Do You Know Why You’re Alive?

This seems like a simple question at first blush, but what comes to mind when you see it?

Do you know why you’re alive?

Does your mind go blank? Do your eyes dart skyward in search of an answer as your brows furrow and eyelids squint? Maybe you find yourself silently repeating the question internally again… and again… the words whispering in slow motion between your ears, “Whyyyy am I aliiiive?” Thought is halted with a sigh, “Hmmm.”

Or, are the corners of your lips drawn up with a broadening smile as you calmly prepare to hit the buzzer and blurt out the winning answer?  

There is an internal confidence that accompanies a person’s undaunted reply. Why is that important? Because living a life where we are in control of our destination begins with understanding our beliefs.

Beliefs are like the solid, steel constructed hulls that provide stability to seaworthy ships when encountering battering seas. Hulls form the sturdy base of the ship keeping it afloat, but even the hardiest vessels rely on many other factors to avoid capsizing in violent storms. Captains depend on radar, satellite weather forecasts, a well-oiled engine room, and their seamanship skills to safely navigate to their desired port.

Our beliefs allow us to live with intention. And, like ships dependent on many variables to stay upright, our beliefs depend on our values and behaviors working together to support our most authentic life.

Without a well-defined Beliefs List, you will find yourself living life in response to the needs of your environment and the people you surround yourself with rather than proactively living for your own desires and aspirations.

Alignment comes from charting the coordinates of our own personal voyage (our beliefs), determining the type of vessel we’ll travel aboard and at what speed we’ll maneuver (our principles), choosing the heading to arrive at our ideal destination (our values), and then regularly checking in to ensure we haven’t veered off course.  

When we define our beliefs, we put ourselves in the captain’s chair. Living life powerfully from the helm offers a much smoother journey than whipping about below deck because we allowed someone else to take the wheel. It’s up to us to decide how we want to live and then act accordingly.

Take the wheel, I know you can do it!

Dana