I heard an inspirational talk recently that quoted from the book “Life After Life” by Dr. Raymond Moody. The talk was so life-changing that I thought “I have to get a copy of that book!” Turns out, I wasn’t the only one with that thought, as all Calgary library copies were out with several holds, and no copies were left in stores in town. I quickly came to the conclusion that my reading over the holidays would not include Dr. Moody.
To my pleasant surprise, on Christmas eve, there were TWO copies under the tree for me! Has that ever happened to you?! Personal proof of how our needs are met, now and always! Well, if that didn’t inspire me enough, I was further grateful to be inspired by Dr. Moody’s words, whose concepts I will share here.
His book is about people who have had near-death experiences. Each subject attests to a similar life review where they dispassionately (but compassionately) look at their lives in a panoramic view, like in a movie, what they had accomplished and how they had lived. And these were some of the questions asked of them during their review:
“What do you have to show me that you’ve done with your life?”
and
“Has your life been worth it?”
As each had their life review, they were shown the times they loved the most, and the times they were selfish, and how this affected others, even perfect strangers. And they were shown what could have been had they lived to their potential. If this makes you think about your own successes and failures, be comforted, for they all claim it was done without judgement, with total love, acceptance, compassion…and sometimes even with humor. The subjects recount that they were never made to feel bad, only shown that it was all part of their learning.
They would sum up the experience, that life is about two things: LOVE and KNOWLEDGE. Learning to love others fully and completely and simply learning, as in the old cliché “life is a school”. Each of these individuals came back with a greater purpose, and a determination to find and create a deeper meaning in their lives.
As I take this inspiration into the new year, I can think of some great introspective questions:
“What do I want to do with my life in 2022?”
“How can I love others more? How will I love others more?”
“What is the purpose of my life? What is the meaning of my life?”
“What is my potential? Who can I be? And who will I be in this new year?”
I have to say this has really been an awakening for me. Very exciting, indeed. And we all have this opportunity to take stock of our lives. We don’t need a near-death experience to shake us into awareness of our vast potential.
The whole experience dramatically changed my holidays. When some trying circumstances surfaced, I was able to turn them around in a flash, with my new awakening of knowing that what matters most is how much I love and how much I learn from life.
So my new year’s resolution is to live up to my potential. To live fully, love fully and learn fully. And my wish for you is to inspire you to do the same, whatever that looks like for you.
Wishing you Ever-New-Joy in 2022.
Yours in wellness,
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”