I have come to the conclusion that you can actually live life at least twice, probably more. That’s right, you can live two lives. I’m not talking about reincarnation or leading a double life, but rather experiencing your life events on at least two separate and distinct occasions. How is that possible? I’m glad you asked. To get the answer, you will have to read on.
LIVING LIFE BEFORE IT HAPPENS
I read something in a book by Matthew Fox’s entitled, Creativity,
and it got me thinking about living twice. Fox wrote:
Anais Nin once said: “We write to taste life twice.” I agree. I think we write to taste life twice, and we paint and dance and sing and compose and do all art to “taste life twice.” This opportunity to taste life twice is an invitation to go deeper, to miss nothing, to tell others, to experience the joy a second time in the telling and in handing on the depth and mystery of life. When we behold, we become so struck by what it is we want to share. We call that sharing “art.”
That quote got me thinking about what Stephen Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey said everything that is created is created twice: first in the mind or heart and then in reality. So when you create a business for example, you are living that business twice—once in the theoretical and then the practical. Finally, someone said that our lives are being recorded and will be played back to us in eternity, where we will either weep with joy at the opportunities we took advantage of, or with grief when we see the opportunities we missed.
Since you will live your life twice, either in regret or joy, it is essential that you first focus your mind on what gives you joy and then make every effort to do it. I write The Monday Memo in my mind all week and then I sit down on Sunday to actually write it. I dreamed about starting my business and ministry and now I get to conduct business all over the world. In both cases, I enjoy my work before I ever do it. There's another way, however, that I can live twice, and you can join me and do the same.
RELIVING LIFE AFTER IT HAPPENS
When I write, I get to enjoy life again after
it happens. I have re-lived safaris, trips, successes, recoveries, book signings, and insight by recording what I felt, thought and did in written form. i have often told people that I write not only for others but also for myself. I often get more from my work than others ever could.
At times I have even relived my most painful memories by counseling and teaching people about what I learned from those experiences. They were hard to live through once, but I have used those failures to make them (and me) into something that could help others. In some ways, I have relived those mistakes, made them right and gave them new meaning by distilling the most important lessons to be learned and creatively sharing them with my audiences.
Since you have many creative ideas, you want to act on those that will provide the greatest benefit for you and others as they are experienced over and over again. I have chosen writing and teaching as my main creative expressions. My books will outlive me and my teaching can help shape lives and destinies. What can you do? Can you write poetry, write screenplays, paint pictures or develop a cure for a problem that plagues mankind?
You can go through life experiencing things only once, reacting and allowing things to happen, or you can release your creativity and help make them happen or give them new meaning, thus living them at least twice. I hope you will choose the creative path that, even though more difficult, produces greater rewards and benefits for you and others. Have a great week!
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