Are you a Victim or Are you Living on Purpose?

Attending the live conference in Puerto Rico last week and having the opportunity to learn from some of the most amazing speakers was truly life transformational for us. This is the fantastic community I currently find myself involved in. To be surrounded by empowering and uplifting people for the week has left us floating on air. The messages I learned will stay with me forever; there is no price that can be placed upon such knowledge and power.

An absolute peace surrounds me each day now. I'm steady and sure of the path I walk upon. I've walked away from Puerto Rico with a more expansive heart and vision. Much of this I owe to Yossi Ghinsberg, the most riveting storyteller I've ever had the joy of being mesmerized by. There were over 1,000 listeners in the room and I've never felt such a deep, entranced silence before in my life. Every word he spoke was absorbed with deep impact by each listener.

Yossi survived a harrowing ordeal in the Amazon jungle. He was lost for 3 weeks on his own and from that he has such an empowering message of overcoming adversity. Through his ordeal Yossi learned that being a victim is a state of mind, and survival a choice.

'Adversity is a part of life, no one can avoid it. A victim is a matter of choice.'

Yossi experienced tremendous pain whilst he was in the jungle but he did not allow this to defeat him. At times he crawled upon his hands and knees dragging himself forward just to keep moving. When he was almost defeated and could no longer move, he found a way to propel himself foward. He sat under a fire ant tree and shook it so that hundreds of fire ants fell down on his body and set it alight with pain. The pain was so intense yet it helped him to feel so alive, to recognize his purpose was to survive and so keep moving. He understood that pain is just a sensation and that pain saves your life. You cannot avoid pain, it's part of life. The suffering is in the mind. If the mind wouldn't scream then pain would just be pain.

Yossi had a purpose- to survive. It was this purpose that gave all his sacrifice and suffering meaning. When you serve your purpose the feeling of pain is rewarding. When you don't have a purpose you become a victim. When you don't have a vision or dream or know for yourself what your purpose is you are in a very dangerous place. You live by the default purpose which is to avoid pain and gain pleasure. This makes you a victim on both sides as you'll be miserable and unhappy through the pain or will be lead to being a victim again when the pleasure doesn't last.

'We are victims because life is kind. When life is harsh there is no time to complain. You do what needs to be done.'

A student I teach is a perfect example of this to me and is a shining light in this world. At the age of eleven he has faced more adversity than most of us will ever known. He lost is mother when he was only young, his father is not in the picture and he lives with his grandmother. He is a survivor of leukemia. Just recently he spoke out in front of the class and told us so bravely that the house he was living in was condemned and they have been forced out and are currently living in a hotel. His next words are 'But that's okay because now I get free cable and I've never had that before.'

His life has been harsh and he has no time to complain. Being a victim is a choice and he chooses to overcome his adversity with a smile and uses it to his advantage. He has a purpose: to allow life to live freely and be expressed through him. He is the most hard working, meticulous worker I've ever met. Everything is done to the best that he can. He is a kind and gentle spirit and life oozes from him so freely. In reality my student is my teacher.

How easy is life for you? See the answer to this question by how much you complain. If you complain a lot than life is not harsh enough and you have too much time on your hands. Do you know your purpose? What is life trying to express through you? This power is waiting to explode and be what it needs to be in order to expand and flourish. Your purpose doesn't have to be big but you have to get out of your comfort zone and not live by the default of pain avoidance and pleasure gains. You don't have to be a victim it is a choice.

I am so glad that Yossi lived through that ordeal in the jungle. Yossi chose life as a result and because of that is making a powerful difference in our world. He'll never really know the impact he has had on my life but his words and gentle, kind spirit are imprinted in my heart. Yossi showed me and I'm sure many others how to breathe again. He taught me that I, my ego self, is so irrelevant. It's the life inside of me that must be loved. It's this life that needs to be preserved and expressed. Life expresses itself through you, it is not yours, and it's this purpose that you must serve. When you realize this you are free, and when you become one with your purpose life oozes out of you, mountains move and walls collapse.

Survival and the ability to thrive is a choice. What choice will you make today?