Sean M Kelly

To Thine Own Self Be True



Posted: Wednesday, September 09, 2009

by Sean M Kelly
Dare to Dream

This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not be false to any man. - William Shakespeare

I sat alone having my breakfast at my mother's, and turned on the television. There was a group of academics discussing a story by Tolstoy entitled, The Death of Ivan Ilych. I had never heard of it before. It tells the story of a man, Ivan, who, during his life succumbs to the 'hypnosis of social conditioning' and lives a life that everyone else expects him to live. As his life is coming to an end with terminal illness he begins to question how he has lived. He asks himself, 'What if in reality my whole life has been wrong?'. He wonders if he was ever true to himself. The only time he remembers being true was when he was a child. He dies with a feeling of deep regret.

Life is hard! Life is difficult! We create a life, which is often so full of 'stuff' that we spend the rest of our lives working to hold on to it, only to realise at the end of it... that 'the last suit we wear doesn't need any pockets'! All those years we struggled to hold on to everything could have been spent nourishing that which brings us joy.

So often we believe that to find our 'joy' we have to change that which is 'without' - move to a bigger house, buy a flashier car or build a bigger business. These things may be important, but by following our own truth we find a greater joy and create more fulfilment in our lives. Ironically, what we used to chase after comes to us easily and by then... well... it really doesn't matter.

When we follow our heart, we find our passion. What we do, we would do even if we didn't get paid. Getting paid is a bonus! Once we find our passion, our life is neither positive nor negative, it is a continuous revelation of whom we truly are. It is a journey of joyous manifestation. It is a journey of continuous heartfelt gratitude for the growing number of wonders in our life.

As Ivan Ilych lay dying, he was tormented with the question, 'What if in reality my whole life has been wrong?'. Unfortunately for Ivan it was too late. If you are reading this, you still have time; time to follow your heart, time to create a more fulfilling life for yourself and a better world for us all.

An Invitation to Follow your Heart

If you were to follow your heart what would you do? What has your heart always been whispering to you to follow? What talents do you possess? What are your gifts? What one step can you take this week that would be following your heart?

As William Wallace's father said to him in 'Braveheart':

'Your heart is now open, have the courage to follow it'.

For a Free Dare to Dream online course and more inspiration click this link: Lesson Plan Life
Sean M Kelly is an accomplished international musician, author, trainer, coach and inspirational speaker. He has been inspiring and training people to use more of their inherent potential and pursue what they're passionate about since 1992. He has performed and delivered workshops in many countries around the world. He currently lives in his home country of Ireland. To download a a Free Copy of his highly inspirational ebook Dare to Dream just go to www.seanMkelly.com

This Article has been viewed 240 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.