Now you know a bit about Health and Happiness, where are you going with this life of yours? Who it the Captain of your ship?
This represents the biggest lesson in my life to date, and without anyone to show me the way, it took me around 40 years to learn
Imagine yourself navigating the journey of your life being represented by a ship sailing the oceans.
Who do you have in charge of your life’s journey?
Do you allow yourself to be told what to do?
How about at home?
How about at work?
How about with your ‘mates’?
How about with your partner?
Most of us allow ourselves to be told what to do, at least in parts of our lives, and we don’t question it, because the alternative would be terrifying. We would have to think for ourselves!
This leads me to one of the most infamous quotes of modern times.
Infamous as it is often attributed, incorrectly, to Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address.
It was actually written by Marianne Williamson in her book A Return to Love
If you are not comfortable with the word ‘god’, just replace it with you own word such as ‘Universe’, or even ‘yourself’.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
‘ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us .
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Thank you Marianne for giving us these amazing words. If everyone was to find them, and truly understand them, the world would be an amazing place. It is already an amazing place, but it would be so much more amazing!!
So, back to the question:
How can you choose who should captain your ship?
There are all these amazing and wonderful people, as well agressive threatening bullies to choose from.
Who should you choose?
A simple process of logic:
Who is the most suitable person to be the captain of your ship?
YOU!!
Why?
1) No one knows you better than you.
2) No one should be able to care about you more than you.
3)Everyone else should be too busy being the captain of their own ships!!
What is your primary duty as captain?
To set a destination, and make sure everyone (particularly you) enjoys the journey, and you hurt no one along the way
What do you do if you have no idea what you want from life, or where you want to get to?
Simple, just start moving. Do something! And you will very soon start to feel if it is taking you in the right direction or not. You can then modify your course as necessary
If you do nothing, you life will remain stuck for as long as you allow it to……..What a waste!
What next?
Simple again. Sit back and enjoy the journey, knowing that you can adjust, or even completely change the destination at any time.
How do you navigate the rough seas when you may doubt your ability to weather a storm?
Be positive, but remain honest!
Don’t say “I can’t do it”, rather say “It is a real challenge, but I have always succeeded so far, therefore I can do it”
If the challenge ahead appears overwhelming, put on the blinkers and concentrate on one small bit at a time
Remember if you say you can, or you say you can’t, you will be correct almost every time!!
The language you use yourself has a profound affect on how you perceive your life. Not the other way round!!
What if you have a choice in front of you and just don’t know which direction to take?
If the answer was obvious, you would have taken it.
If it isn’t then there isn’t much in it. Choose either. If you are not used to making decisions; Afraid of making the wrong choice and having no one to blame, then flip a coin. Yes, really!
This will give the option of having ‘someone’ to blame….Your god, the Universe, or simply the coin itself. Either way you will be moving again and the decision will soon be left far behind and forgotten.
Imagine sailing a ship across the sea. A small insignificant island is dead ahead. The seas to the left and to the right are clear, and neither direction is better than the other. Flip the coin! If you don’t make a decision you are going to end up dead in the water, or shipwrecked, however small that island is!!
You ARE in charge of your own ship!
Actually, you have been in charge all along. You may have simply delegated this role to others in certain areas of your life
Once you know you are in charge and you can leverage the knowledge or wisdom of others (Or ignore it!) you should always feel confident that you can navigate the seas ahead. If you get knocked off course, you can always get back on it as soon as you can. You do not need to wait for the approval of others!!!
One Final Thought
You don’t have to stay at the helm all the time. It can relieve a lot of stress if you consciously choose to allow someone else to take control.
The point is that you monitor where their actions are taking you, and if things don’t feel right then either discuss you feelings until you feel comfortable again, or take back control!
And be prepared to set a new course!
I would recommend this thought process to anyone, but remember, I am not the captain of your ship. If these words don’t feel right to you, ask me for further clarification, or just ignore them.
So who is the captain of your ship?