Being Alive is not a Physical State, it's an Emotional One

Last week as I was sitting in meditation, a download came through that said: “Being alive is not a physical state, it’s an emotional one.”

Our heart can be pumping blood and our brain can be emitting waves, but if we’re not emotionally engaged in the experience of living, that is not life. True living is about quality, not quantity.

And the quality is measured in JOY.

I had a catch-up call with a friend, who shared about her trip to Nepal. The people of Nepal that she met were considered poor according to American standards. Yet, she said they were full of so much joy. They had joy for the simple things like being outdoors and conversing in community. They oozed so much joy that was contagious to everyone who they came in contact with.

In contrast to that, I have another friend who is considered wealthy according to American standards. She has everything money can buy and the time available to do whatever she wants with total freedom. She’s in excellent physical health. Yet, she feels depressed enough to not want to be alive.

I’d rather have 46 years of immense joy than 101 without it. How about you?

Joy is an inside job. And if we can’t predict how many years we have in human form, how do we want to spend RIGHT NOW? Because right now is all that exists. Right now is all we have. Everything else (future or past) is simply imagined in our minds.

So: what lights you up? What fills your spirit sails? What does your heart get so immersed in that time ceases to exist?

And what is holding you back from choosing that right now?

What are you putting off for tomorrow, next week, or next year that you can say yes to today?

If you’re having a hard time identifying what brings you joy, think back to your most favorite memories. What are they? What were you doing, where, and with whom? Why is it a favorite memory?

What are you most proud of and why?

What is one thing that you’ll never regret having done or experienced? Can you do more of that?

If you’re just going through the motions and waiting for some arbitrary goal down the road to be achieved before you say yes to what brings your soul alive, then you’re not actively participating in living. The time is NOW to connect with your joy.

Because being alive is not a physical state, it’s an emotional one.