Listen To Your Life

There’s this young man in his late twenties. His name is Rick. He has been working for the government for several years now. It’s not a job that he likes (he even hates it sometimes) but it gets his bills paid and makes him afford a few luxuries from time to time, one of which is surfing.

Through the years that he has been dealing with politics, bureaucracy and red tape, he was able to afford to purchase his own car (under a loan) and invest on his own surfboard. He would frequent the beaches of La Union and Zambales on weekends that he was not required by his boss to come to work. One time, feeling very depressed and frustrated by his dead-end job, he drove all the way to La Union with some of his friends. It was December, the weather was cold and the waves were erratic. But till, they all went thinking how much fun they will have.

 

The moment they hit the beach, they checked-in, settled their stuff in their rented room and immediately headed to the sea. They couldn’t wait to surf and drown their problems in the waves. Especially Rick. He found a spot where few people were surfing and waited for his wave. Unknowingly, the spot he chose had a very strong undercurrent and within just seconds, he noticed himself being dragged by the waves farther and farther out into the open sea. He began to panic. He was neither a very good surfer nor a very good swimmer. Then huge waves began crashing onto him one after another. He was thrown off his surf board and before he could even take a deep breath, another wave splashed onto him.

He tried shouting for help but lacking breath, he couldn’t get the words out, much more, shout them. He thought he was going to die! Then he focused on catching his breath and staying alive. He grabbed on tight to his surfboard and luckily, one of the local surfers saw him and saved him. The moment they hit the sand, a realization dawned on him. “I have to quit my job! I can’t die still doing the same boring routine and living a miserable life!”

So come Monday morning, he filed his resignation. Eventually, he got his early retirement money and set up his own surf shop. Rick couldn’t be happier.

Sometimes, life gives us the push we need to finally live the life we want. It may be as obvious as what happened to Rick, or it may be the little things that happen to us everyday. Open your eyes and listen to your heart.  Maybe you just need to have a little paradigm shift (looking at the brighter side of things, accepting them and working it out). Other times, you may really need to take bold steps in changing the quality of your life (changing jobs, pursuing your passions, relocating, filing for divorce, etc.). Whatever it is, try to learn from your life experiences. Always ask yourself “What is my life telling me?” And from there, move on and continue learning and growing.