My First Blog Post

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I know, I know. I’m a little late to the party.

 

We could call it fashionably late if we were being cute, but we all know that’s not true. I’m late, late. Like, the snacks are eaten and the keg is tapped.

 

Who needs another blog to read?

 

Stick around dear readers because I brought a fresh case of supplies and the bumpenest playlist. Let’s take this party up a notch and invite more people!

 

I remember my first big high school party. Well, remember isn’t quite the right word. I have a hazy recollection of my first big high school party. It ended up with me and a friend hiding in a closet from the police and her proceeding to puke on a vacuum cleaner. The irony escaped me then, but the smell did not. We emerged from the closet, once the police left, thankful we didn’t have to call our parents from the clink. But, we paid the price of smelling like puke for the rest of the weekend.

 

Was it worth it?

 

For the fun and exhilaration and adventure of it all, maybe. But, the side effects were just too…well, gross. And the exhilaration, fleeting.

 

Over the years I’ve been to many more parties (thankfully, never ending up in another closet with a puking friend). I’ve had my fair share of wild times. I’ve chased down fun and excitement through countless people, places, and things.

 

What has it left me with?

 

As I’ve evolved I’ve come to realize…not much. Pursuing fun rather than having fun are two different things. Seeking adventure from the next thing that revs your engine and being adventurous are not the same. Feeling happy because you got a promotion isn’t the same as loving your life and who you are.

 

When it comes to lasting exhilaration and joy, what fuels it?

 

First things first. It doesn’t come from clubbing or bungee jumping or your next vacation (or plug in your own examples here). It doesn’t come from anything outside of you. Not the adventure or the relationship or the job or the new toy. Everything you seek to juice your life will last longer, stay forever, and be with you always when you seek it from within.

 

Second things second. Life isn’t about having fun, exhilaration, even happiness, 24/7. We need the lows to recalibrate, ponder, and check in with ourselves. Invite them in and you will end up in a better place.

 

This doesn’t mean you don’t attend parties and concerts or avoid sky diving and never buy another exciting new thing. It means you don’t rely on those things for your happiness, satisfaction, or feelings of success. Nothing outside of you should determine your inner state of wellbeing. They may enhance it, but they don’t define it.

 

Where does deep and unyielding joy come from?

 

Through realizing your purpose (we all have one) and going after it. By accepting that your life is the adventure and seeing opportunities everywhere. By loving your whole self. By knowing you deserve to experience the joyful, exhilarating thing called life. There’s no VIP section, no lines, and no bouncers at this party. Being alive is your ticket.

 

Who’s ready to turn it up?

 

Share your best party story in the comments section and something you’ve learned about yourself or your life that beats it.

 

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