What does it take to have an extraordinary life?

A question I have asked myself over and over and over again….

On the heels of one of the most amazing vacations I have ever had, one of my very close friends left me a voicemail informing me that she had something to share with me. She was leaving out of the country, and I was trying to cope with that – I hadn’t expressed my feelings to her about her new journey – for several reasons, but after that phone call, I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and my heart no longer heavy.

I knew that after, my life would never be the same. She began to tell me about a program that she enrolled in entitled The Landmark Forum. She told me how the program had changed her life, and how she viewed her relationships, including our relationship. I hadn’t cried that much since…? A few weeks ago! Nonetheless, I finally felt that this wasn’t the end, or that my journey not needed necessarily to resemble hers – I’ll touch on this later.

So after returning back to Philadelphia, I sat at my desk at work and The Landmark Forum, popped in my head. I googled it and found the website. After clicking through a  few links and reading the benefits, and a few testimonials, I decided oh my gosh, this is exactly what I need!...and then I saw that $510 fee for tuition! Now she didn’t say anything about tuitions or $500. I clicked the little white “x” and proceeded to finish up the work I was neglecting.

The next day, The Landmark Forum popped in my head. I couldn’t fight it. I went back to the website and found that I could make a $100 deposit! Gosh, I didn’t  have $100 to spare! But I had money to spend on printing pictures and to buy a turtleneck – even if it were only $6.00! I met up with my friend (the one that completed the program) and I could hear it in her voice alone – I knew I needed to attend this program – I just had to. So, I toyed with the idea for a few more days until today…

So, I’m at work again, neglecting the work that I am supposed to be completing, posting inspirational messages on Facebook (how ironic) and finding out What God wanted me to know on this day…

that transformation is possible at any time. A person can transform, a situation can transform, even the planet can transform. Never lose hope. Under the proper conditions of love, faith, and belief, transformation is quite possible.

…spooky, innit?! So, I’m wall-stalking and on my friend’s wall, a friend of hers posted, ” Giving thanks…In advance, for my upcoming Landmark experience”. I said to myself, this is it! Pick up the phone, dial the number, and God will work out the rest! So, I called…

I’ll cut to the meat. So, I’m coming up on the end of registration and the woman asks me over the phone, “What do you intend to get out of Landmark? You can tell me now or you can think about it and follow up either online or with one of the specialists who will follow up with you.” In my head, I tried to convince myself to follow up later, but instead it all just rolled off of my tongue:

I feel like I am not sure where my life is heading anymore. I feel like I have created this identity from the bits and pieces of those who surround me. and it’s making me unhappy. I feel like I have created this prison and have thrown away the key…I feel like I am stuck trying to live this life that I have created and I FINALLY WANT OUT! I can’t live my life because I am trying to fit into a mold that was not built for ME!

Oh the tears started to flow! I did not imagine that when I picked up the phone to register for this course that I would have begun the process of building this extraordinary life – even before setting foot in a seminar. The voice on the other end was able to relate. She has been where I am. She has had the same recycled convos. She is no longer stuck in a default identity and is no longer hiding from herself.

I explain to her that I’ve been through The Secrets, the Deepak’s, and The Daily Loves, but reading emails and books, and watching DVDs, weren’t holding me accountable! I NEEDED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! I needed to read the stories I have created and re-write MY story, instead of living someone else’s. I don’t want to watch in envy as others are living their extraordinary lives, as I sit back in agony because I’m living a life that I have created that I know is not for me. Today, I realize more than ever that, every single person’s journey is theirs because it is structured and molded for that individual, at that specific time in their life. No matter how many self-help books, or inspirational quotes I read, I will not be able to live the extraordinary life that’s waiting for me until I hold my self accountable and am no longer a victim of options, able to rethink possibilities, and change the quality of my relationships.

Today, I am holding my self accountable – today I am redefining the definition of what’s possible.
Today I start to live as ME.

Advertisement