Feel Alive
Today is my birthday. I have always loved birthdays. For me, it’s a time to celebrate. A time to bring people together. A time to smile. A time to laugh. A time to feel grateful. I’ve never been shy about it. I find the older I get, the more I cherish the opportunity. Yet, last year, as much as I loved the car parade, tribute video and small family dinner, there’s no question I missed an in-person gathering. This year, with many friends and family vaccinated, I am sure to celebrate with them. And, as I reflect on the past year, it’s become abundantly clear what I have missed most: feeling alive. While certainly others have had it worse over the past year, it doesn’t mean I still haven’t had my struggles. Perhaps, you can relate. It’s not that I’ve experienced extreme hardship. I haven’t. Yet, feeling alive has been challenging during a global pandemic.
Over the last ten years, I have had the honor of speaking to thousands of people. In my talks, I used to ask my audience to raise their hand if they wanted to be happy. Whether in a room of ten or one thousand, pretty much all of the hands shot up. It seemed like a universal truth. Yet, as I continued to research and study the science behind happiness, I came to the conclusion that focusing on happiness wasn’t necessarily helpful. Instead, I started focusing on feeling alive. That shift has been a game-changer. It took the pressure off trying to get a happy outcome and instead allowed me to focus on a process of feeling alive. What does feeling alive mean to me? Here are a few examples (in no particular order).
Hanging out with friends
Interviewing strangers on my podcast
Playing sports
Hanging out with my family
Coaching clients and speaking
Dancing and singing
Attending an event
Hosting a retreat
Traveling
Learning
These are just a few of my examples. There are many more. Some of these are possible right now while others are restricted. That’s ok. As I celebrate my birthday this year, I am excited about the opportunities I have, and will have, to feel alive. I am embracing and running towards as many as possible.
It should also be noted that part of feeling alive is also feeling sadness, fear, anxiety, and anger. Emotions are part of the human experience. They are part of feeling alive. Each birthday my world changes a little bit. Some changes are desirous while others are not. Yet, I keep coming back to a desire to feel alive. And with that in mind, I hope to make this the most alive birthday yet.