Living or just Breathing?

On my way home from Windsor last night I passed by a sign that read "Are you living or just breathing"?

I thought about this question all the way home.  And I'm still thinking about it today.

I guess I had always just assumed that I was living of course.  I enjoy my work, my family, my friends.  I have a good life.

However the more I pondered just how I had been living, I realized that I really have been "just breathing".  Not to knock breathing or anything, let's be realistic without breath there is no life of course, but I'm talking about the kind of living you do when all you are doing is taking breath after breath simply to make it to the next minute, hour or day.

For the most part we walk around in a mechanical haze.  Our schedule laid out for us each day, every day running into the next.

I wonder just how many people think that this is living life to it's fullest? 

And how do we make the shift from just breathing to living fully?

I believe that all we really need is a shift in our way of thinking.  I think that reading that sign and acknowledging that I have been "just breathing" has created a shift in me already.  The awareness that comes with acknowledgment is extremely powerful.  The other part of this is once the issue has been acknowledged you need to let it go.  Resist holding yourself hostage in the guilt game.  Resist asking people's advice about the situation to gain clarity (nobody else knows you or what is happening in you but YOU).  The only advice you need comes from within you.  Believe it or not your body holds all the answers to life's questions, you don't need to seek an outside source to gain a new perspective you need to find a quiet place and ask yourself the question "what am I doing here?" or "How can I live happier, healthier, more fully?" or "Am I living or just breathing"? 

As small as a step as this may seem, it can be profound.  It connects you to your inner wisdom.  Something that can not be taken away and is extremely empowering.



And that is a beautiful step in the direction of living.