Maybe it's the second cup of fabulous Tim Horton's coffee, or maybe it's because I just watched "Evan Almighty" (that movie always chokes me up), or maybe it's both. But right now at this very moment, things are very clear to me. I write this today not in a perfect world, but with a perfect understanding of my world. There are things right now that weigh on my heart, trusts that have broken and yet, as Biggie Smalls would say, "It's all good baby baby" especially after taking time to reflect on the following quote from Morgan Freeman, who plays God in "Evan Almighty":
"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does He give him an opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does He give them opportunities to love each other?" --Morgan Freeman as God in "Evan Almighty"
This quote alone has reshaped my life and always brings a tear to my eye because of the honesty and self-reflection it provides. If we dare to live our vision, if we dare to create our dreams and reach our potential, then we must be able to see the opportunities that we asked for, and learn the lesson we need. We must learn to let go and allow our own greatness to take over. I know every day I am tested; I know every night I go to bed asking for an ability to reach a new level of success. I have come to realize that this doesn't always come in the form I want it to.
Sometimes it comes in challenges I hate, sometimes it comes in painful break-ups and things I don't want to experience, and sometimes it's great. My message for this chapter is simple -- sometimes in life we get so wrapped up in losses and pain that we can't see the forest for the trees. As Viktor Frankl talks about in his life-changing book, "Man's Search For Meaning," "To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown." This is a classic painting of big-picture vs. small-picture.
I know that every night I ask to become more successful; I ask to grow and gain experience in life to reach my fullest potential. I understand that what I am actually asking for is an opportunity; I understand that opportunity usually comes in the form of a test, whether it's an opportunity to work on my book and then the phone rings and it's a bunch of friends asking me to come out, or a relationship that fails and leaves me lost. These are opportunities to grow, learn, feel, and experience. Do I always enjoy these opportunities? Of course not! Some of them hurt and push me further than I am willing to go. Opportunity does not always come as you're walking down the street and someone decides you should be a model; opportunity usually comes when we say hi to all the possibilities and use large picture thinking.
About the Author:
Jeff Moore is the author of the books "Twenty Something in the Twenty Something's" and the newly-released "The World is Yours: Turning Vision into Reality."
Jeff started his career by asking himself one question: "How do we teach the youth and adults the most important lessons in life?" The answer was clear -- we teach by inspiring them. Since that time, Jeff has gone on to become an author and professional speaker, working in colleges and corporations teaching audiences goal setting and self-communication techniques. For more information on Jeff Moore, go to http://www.motivatingfutures.com
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