In my previous post I told them that human beings want to transcend. I set the example of Achilles and his wish that his name would endure in time. To transcend is to leave a scent in other people's lives, a lasting scent. It is that our words, feelings and actions endure over time.
Fuente
"Man lives in fascination with the immensity of eternity. And we wonder, will our actions resonate through the centuries? Will people we don't know hear our names long after our death? And will they wonder who we were, how brave we fought, how fiercely we loved?"
Opening sentence of the film "Troy"
But how can we transcend? How can we do (if we are interested) to leave an imprint, to leave a legacy for humanity and have a lasting effect on this physical world?
Let's take the example of putting perfume on your body and hands. When you shake hands with another, that smell will stay on your hand and possibly on the hand of whoever, that other, greets. Who initiated that chain of smells? It wasn't you, it was the container that contained the perfume, since the purpose of that container is to keep that fragrance. The container is you, the perfume is your life. What is your purpose in life? What is your mission in this world? Why and what are you here for?
Victor Frankl, says that "man's first motivating force is the struggle to find meaning in his own life". Why? Because through a sense of purpose, through our mission we can be useful to others, we can leave a mark on other people's lives; we leave a legacy. By feeling useful, we are recognized for our usefulness and we feel important. By being important we are appreciated. And our sense of greatness is nurtured and the knowledge that what we do, say and even feel can be known once we are gone, that we will leave a legacy or an inheritance fills our soul. Living on the basis of our purpose, on the basis of our gifts, talents, passions and that this influences others, be they few or many, does not make us feel satisfied, we feel happy and fulfilled. That, dear friend, is to transcend.
Fuente
Sometimes we don't know what we live for. What our gifts are. And we need to discover it or accept it. The book "The Three Steps" by Arnie Warren shows us a way to discover our passion, our purpose in case we haven't already done so. It talks about how we need to agree, accept and act. We access through knowing ourselves, asking ourselves questions, remembering things. Once we define our passion, our purpose, what we want to do every day, what we want to leave in this world, how we want to be remembered (by the way, that's an excellent exercise. I invite you to write on a sheet of paper or on your computer or phone how you want people to remember you). Finally, act on what you discover. Living without a goal, without a reason, without a purpose is one of the most frustrating and limiting things in life. Please act on it. We will not transcend if we do not know why we are here in this world and live it with passion and dedication every day of our lives.
I must make a point, though. Remember what the mother said to Achilles? That he had two choices: glory and eternity or a normal, unfamous life. Here no option is better than another, the one that makes you happy, that's the one you should choose. Because that's what life is all about: being happy. Yet I also make the caveat: we are always communicating, we are always influencing others, whether we want to transcend or not, it is inevitable. That's why the importance of your smell. There are expensive and cheap perfumes. Some smell bad and others are very exquisite, some you can't even feel after two hours and others last more than two days.
How strong is the smell of your life? And even more, what kind of fragrance are you impregnating in the lives of others? Are you a cheap or expensive perfume? What kind of mark and influence are you leaving on your path through this world? And I'm not talking about influencing millions. That depends on the way or the job you choose. I'm talking about you being able to influence a few. Just with a gesture, a comment on the Internet, a tip to a grandchild. A text message. It's the quality of your scent, it's the strength of your fragrance that makes the difference.
Live by your purpose. Because believe me, as Marcus Aurelius says in the film Gladiator,
"When a man sees his end, he wants to know that his life had some meaning."
I lived a long time bitter, frustrated, depressed and with thoughts of suicide or death. I'm a survivor of depression. When I began to live by my passions, my purpose, and defined my life's mission, I began to feel fuller, happier, and more satisfied. That is why I strongly invite you to live smelling strong.
Because Robert Baden Powell said so:
"But the true way to achieve happiness is to make others happy. Try to leave this world a little better than you found it and when the time comes to die, you can die happy feeling that in no way will you have wasted your time but will have done everything possible".
Gary Samuel Bilbao
G. S. Bilbao
Blogger | Lecturer | Commercial Speaker
Original G.S. Bilbao
You can find me on my social networks:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Blog
