Life Happens, or Does It?

“Life happens, then you die.” That’s the common expression.

It sounds defeatist to me. Would you rather life happen to you or make life happen?

Would you rather let life happen and see if you get what you want? Or make life happen, direct it, to get what you want?

When you let life happen to you, you’re waiting around. You’re not an active participant. That’s different from being in the flow and letting life flow.

When we’re in the flow, we still have preferences, intentions, things we want to happen. We just don’t put restrictions and controls on them. When we let life happen to us, we’re not stating an intention, we’re just waiting around for something good to come along. You can wait a long time for that.

In one instance you sit around waiting for something good to happen, you’re bobbing around like a cork in the sea. You have no intentions, no desires, you’re just waiting, hoping. When you’re in the flow you can still be bobbing around like a cork in the sea, but you know where you want to go, you set an intention. You’re letting the Universe decide how you’ll get there, but you’ve chosen what you desire to happen. That’s when you put on your wings and fly! No more bobbing around, waiting for a wave to take you to your destination.

Creating by Default

If you’re not investing in creating what you want, then life happens. You create by default. That’s when you often get the results you don’t want because you’re not setting intentions, or directing the Universe to your desires.

To get what you want out of life it’s best to take an active role. Instead of it happening “to me” it’s happening because of me, because I’m creating it. I’m intending it. I’m directing it. I’m just allowing the Universe to fill in the details of how it happens.

Which energy would you rather have? Happening to you or because of you?

When life happens “to you” it’s being in victim mode because you’re not taking responsibility for your life. Example – someone who waits around for years for their “lucky break” and it never comes. Then they blame fate, luck, the world, anyone but themselves. Then they often get cranky, lack motivation, have regrets, give up. It’s not about blaming yourself that your life isn’t going the way you want it, it’s about realizing that you can steer your own ship to get what you want.

Untie Your Boat

Ever seen a boat moored up? It bobs around in the water. That’s what your life is like when you don’t take control of it, just like the cork bobbing aimlessly in the sea. Your tied-up boat gets tossed around by life. If you want to actually go somewhere and do something, untie the boat and take it out onto the open water by steering it. Now you control where you’re going because you have a motor and can control your destiny, not bobbing aimlessly. The Universe may be telling you how to get there, but you know what you want, where you ultimately want to go.

The other day my teenage son mentioned that he was just going to sit around waiting for something good to happen. That’s when I reminded him about his grandpa.

When we were working on my dad’s eulogy the common theme that stood out was that he made life happen. He didn’t sit around waiting for his life to begin. As a result, he accomplished a lot. There were things we kids didn’t know that he did. He did a lot, he made his life happen. We were impressed. He took life by the horns. He untied his boat. Some people don’t.

That’s not a criticism of those that don’t direct their lives, but rather a wake-up call. If you don’t like where your life is going, ask yourself if you take life by the horns or you let it happen to you, waiting around for something good?

To effectively manifest it’s best to let go of control, but you still need an intention, a goal. What do you want to manifest? What do you want to create? You’re sitting in the driver’s seat so you get to decide where you want to go.

Otherwise you’re sitting behind the wheel waiting for an idea or taking requests from the passengers. I don’t know about you, but I like to control my own destiny. I don’t mean control as in white knuckling it, but control as in creating it. I want to decide where I’m going. I’ll let the Universe direct me on the how and when, but if I don’t know the what, the Universe can’t help me get there.

Make your decision. Do you want to be the moored-up boat wishing he could go somewhere or the one who’s out on the open sea having a great time with the wind in their hair and sunshine on their backs?

I’m voting for open sea! Won’t you join me?