What Is Your Vision For Your Life?

- BY NEHA

"Create The Highest, Grandest Vision Possible For Your Life, Because You Become What You Believe" - Oprah Winfrey

The above quote was my Facebook status some weeks ago. I only share those quotes on my Facebook wall that I truly and deeply resonate with.

Oprah Winfrey is someone who I admire and idolize. To me, she is the epitome of success, grace and generosity. Those readers who are aware of her early background and growing-up years would know that Oprah had to overcome a myriad of challenges and barriers in her life to reach where she is today. She is not only America’s most loved woman but also an inspiration to many people across the world.

Oprah had a grand vision for her life. Even though she didn’t come from wealth and didn’t have the most stable upbringing, she believed in her vision for herself, with faith and conviction.

Most of us have been told by our parents, teachers and society that the more knowledge we accumulate, the better are our chances of being “successful” in life. While this is true to an extent, accumulating knowledge and hoarding degrees however, without having unwavering faith, can take us only so far in life.

If you read the biographies or autobiographies of successful people, you’ll realize that they all share a similar thinking pattern, and that is – they could see and feel their impending success in their mind’s eye. What they truly wanted in life was already a reality in their mind long before they actually manifested their success in their physical reality.

I truly believe that having faith in your desires and dreams, irrespective of how gigantic they may be (and whether others in your life think that you are way out of your depths in expecting them to materialize and that you should lower your expectations so as to avoid disappointment later), will enable you to take inspired action towards manifesting them. Naysayers are everywhere but you must always remember that you are the most important stakeholder in your life and you get to decide what you want. Whatever you think is possible, is possible for you; whatever you think is impossible, is impossible for you.

Like many people in this world, I too for the longest time never dared to dream beyond what were considered as “my limits”. I limited my goals and desires to preclude disappointment. But did it really save me from disappointment? NO. So I decided - why don’t I erase all my limits and dream bigger. Why don’t I upgrade my desires and see if life grants me my wishes? After all, isn’t it better to encounter disappointment in trying to achieve the life we dream of than to face disappointment in trying to achieve something that doesn’t truly excite us and is at best only a miniature version of our dreams.

A very dear friend of mind always asks me to have faith, whenever I am upset or disappointed with something. According to him, faith is a form of ‘unconditional love’ that is reciprocated by the Universe (or God or The Higher Power – whatever you may choose/prefer to call it) not in equal measure, but infinitely multiplied.  

For readers who were raised in India, you may remember how some beggars on the roadside used the following phrase to beseech – “tum ek paisa doge woh dus lakh dega”.

Acceptance of our life as is and having faith in what is to come makes life so much more calm and relaxed. I know this is easier said than done and I too grapple with it on several occasions. However, on the occasions I have adopted this mindset, I have always been pleasantly surprised by life. I have a long way to go before this way of thinking and acceptance becomes a way of life for me, but I intend to work on it every day till I get there.

You may or may not choose to adopt this way of thinking, but there is absolutely no harm in trying. Keep doing what you are but this time around do it with genuine faith (you can’t pretend) that what is to come will always be for your best. Remember that sometimes what we think we want is actually not good for us in the long run. Therefore, if what happens next in your life is contrary to what you want, trust that it is for your own good and accept it. Resistance will always sap your energy, whereas acceptance facilitates the flow of energy.

The following quote by acclaimed and renowned author Paulo Coelho sums up my entire blog post beautifully - 

“When you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

And for all the Bollywood enthusiasts, especially SRK fans, remember ‘Om Shanti Om’?

Here’s wishing all our readers a Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2016 ahead! The Universe always has your back, you just need to believe and have faith.