I never knew where the phrase - Follow Your Bliss - came from until one Sunday morning I stumbled on the Oprah network. The show was called Super Soul Sunday and the topics are all of a spiritual nature. Our spiritual nature as human beings is something that always fascinates me. I believe that every human being has this gift but I observe many fellow humans that don't appear to know it.
I am not referring to religion, especially organized religion. Although I've spent my life in church I completely get why churches are repellant to many people. Full of rules and shame, misinterpretations and hypocritical thinking in the name of God.
But spirit is something that lives inside of us. A part of us that is not in this world. A knowledge, perhaps, of something greater than ourselves. It's something that is easily ignored in this world of distractions and noise.
On Oprah's show I heard three young people in their 30's talking about a spiritual revelation of sorts. They are encouraging young people through their writings and appearances to acknowledge spirituality in order to enjoy a more fulfilling life. A life of gratitude, love and charity to other human beings.
On this show Joseph Campbell was discussed. He coined the term "Follow Your Bliss"decades ago. Who was this guy? Why had I never read his writings? At a certain time in my life when everything imploded and I was a lost soul I read as many philosophical and self-help books as I could. I absorbed it all (my favorite being "The Road Less Traveled" by Scott Peck).
What does follow your bliss mean? You must ask yourself :
When am I happiest?
When does time fly?
What feeds my spirit?
What do I have to offer?
What are my strongest talents and gifts?
What talents can offer something to the world?
How can I love others better?
I was shocked to discover at my age I still needed to purposefully ask myself these questions and ponder the answers to get back on track in my life. To begin to feel true joy again. To feel that I am offering something to the world. I think we need to ask ourselves these questions throughout our lives because we do change and grow and have more to offer the older we get.
I realized that I feel closest to God when I am singing. It makes me happiest. And I have not been singing so I joined a new chorale. This blog was also one of my ways to offer something, however small, to the world. Ask yourself those questions and you may be surprised to discover that the answers may not be what they once were.
Thanks for reading.
3 comments:
Diane,
I fully agree with you and the issue of bliss. I have been learning to follow mine...I recently started taking piano lessons again...This is a current bliss. Things that make time fly by and do not allow for intrusions are wonderful!
Jennifer Ross Sawyer
Writing fiction, drawing, painting, gardening are probably my most blissful activities. I used to be able to lose myself in my educational writing, but not anymore. Largely because the work has changed so much. I struggle constantly with wanting to fill my life with these bliss-producing activities full time, but it's just not on the horizon for the foreseeable future.
I love this post. I think you and I have been so caught up with merely finding a way to exist this past year that finding our bliss has been a laughable concept. But, just as we have endured, so have our dreams and hopes for OUR lives, although temporarily put on hold. I have rededicated myself to my life goals and hope I can, once again, see a future for me that includes pursuing the things that allows me to be spiritually, physically and emotionally fulfilled. Thank you for posting this!
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