What's the Point?

I’ve been asked several times why I write these newsletters, so I thought I would take some time to answer that question for any of you who may be curious. So, what’s the point, you may ask? Do I write these just to bring a bit of sunshine, positivity, and a sense of what’s possible into my readers’ lives? Well, yes. And, I do it as much for myself as for any one of you who read these newsletters.

As many of you know, I also have a presence on Facebook and I thoroughly enjoy posting inspirational and uplifting messages for all of my “friends.” I’ve been asked a few times what it’s like to always be happy, positive, and upbeat. To which I answer, “I have no idea. I’m not always feeling any or all of those things.” In fact, ask my family if I’m always happy and upbeat and I’m sure you’ll get a good laugh!

However, just think how boring and uninteresting life would be if all we experienced were one narrow range of our emotions. After all, what would joy be without pain and sadness, excitement without boredom, or victory and exhilaration without frustration and defeat? In order to be who we are meant to be in this world, it’s vitally important for us to realize that emotions are the juice of life. Good, bad, or otherwise (although as I often remind clients, there are no “bad” emotions).

It’s critical to understand that in order to experience our full capacity as human beings, we must be open to all that comes with it. And sometimes that is messy. Let’s face it – emotions can be very messy. And, at the same time they give us so much.

“Feeling emotions is what makes life rich. You need your passions.”
                    - Daniel Goleman, Author “Emotional Intelligence”

Think of the excitement of your first kiss, that exhilarating roller coaster ride at the theme park, your wedding day, the birth of a child, or holding the hand of a loved one as they pass from this life to the next. How sad and empty we would be if we always felt the same. The richness of our lives is enhanced by our ability to connect and truly feel our emotions.

That’s one of the reasons I love to write these newsletters. They give me an opportunity to connect with all my readers in a deeper spiritual sense, hopefully to evoke an emotional response from them, and in that response, to share in their experience of life in profound ways.

See, there are those in life we call “adrenaline junkies.” You know the ones, the jumping-off-a-cliff-skydiving-bungee-jumping-roller-coaster-riding people. Well, I’m an “emotion junkie” of sorts. I have learned (not without hardship and challenge) that only by embracing my full humanity, and accepting my emotions as a necessary and welcome part of me, can I truly be fully present and engaged in my life.

So, what’s the point? Well, I certainly think that each one of you can and will draw your own conclusions. But for me the point is to embrace my emotions, feel them at my core, accept them as part of me, and know that in doing so I am opening myself to the greatest adventure we know – LIFE!