You will die.

Fuck.

You will die.

We all will.

So what is the purpose of any of this if we will be gone and forgotten about?

That is where beauty comes in.

If you are reading this.

No matter what the media tells you.

No matter what problems your friends or family are trying to place on you.

You have enough freedom to make the choice to not deal with any of it.

The beauty of it is the fact that what you see, hear, choose to feel... it is your choice.

Don't believe me?

How come two people can experience the same exact moment, but both perceive that moment in two different ways?

Example:

The hard things in life. One person will perceive them in a way that the world is against them. That nothing ever goes their way.

Another person will perceive them in a way that makes them stronger. That this challenge is a testament that validates the strength they have accrued over their lifetime. They almost enjoy it because they are proud of themselves and what they can overcome.

What is the difference between these two perceptions?

PURPOSE

Someone with a strong sense of purpose will ultimately overcome anything that is thrown their way. They choose to see beauty in the challenges that they endure. They relish in the fact that they will have a story to tell some day.

But how does someone find that sense of purpose?

I hate to say it...

PAIN

The people that have a strong purpose know what it is like to wake up in pain.

Practice makes progress as they say. And those who have had to practice enduring true pain... usually have a strong sense of purpose.

The issue I see, and maybe you see, is that not enough people have suffered "true" pain in today's world.

We are spoiled rotten by technology.

Yet, many are so disillusioned by the same technology/media to believe the world is crumbling around them.

Have you ever had to hunt for your food and water?

Have you ever had to build your own shelter to sleep in?

Have you ever had to fight another human / animal to keep your tribe safe?

Have you ever had to walk for miles to school/job every day just to learn or provide?

Most likely, NO.

So why in the world are so many people complaining all the time?!?!

Hell, if you have enough time to sit on your couch and complain, you have a freedom our ancestors dreamed of. You are basically living the fucking dream just by having a couch!!!

So why don't you perceive it like that?

You lack purpose.

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This topic hits home with me right now as there are several people within my circle who are struggling with it.

The saying goes "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."

What makes me sad, is I can see that we have become so weak as a society, that people would rather choose comfort and complaints, over enduring some form of pain, and ultimately finding their true purpose here on this earth through what they endure.

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To end, I will share a snippet of my story so maybe you can relate and find your own purpose.

My purpose on this earth is to "make every heartbeat count" and inspire others to do the same by showing how I #thriveonlife.

How did I come to a one sentence purpose?

Death & Disease.

Just like how I started this message.

I have been diseased myself, have witnessed disease close up front, and have seen death tear people and families apart.

I have been a shoulder to cry on, a person to write to, and a friend who "gets it."

And through feeling that pain...the pain of me not wanting to live at times because shitting blood and running to the bathroom 10 times a day was too taxing on my soul... and then witnessing others suffering worse than me... I began to ask "what is the point of all this?"

Through asking myself that question I began to realize that the point is that I had the POWER to control what my point (purpose) was here on this earth.

My purpose...

It wasn't to get a recognized degree.

It wasn't to get a job.

It wasn't to make a lot of money.

It wasn't to be the greatest athlete so I could get the attention of my father and family/friends.

It was to be ME. The best me I could possibly be! The realest me. The me that shows up in every damn moment who I want to be, not who you wish I would be.

My purpose became to make sure that every heartbeat I am blessed to have is spent with intention. And when I honor this, I will inspire and motivate others to do the same thing.

And when those I inspire do the same thing....

When we have more people living with intention, living with a realization that they will die someday... the world becomes a better place because people will spend way less time on the bullshit, and way more time on themselves and how important it is for them to make every heartbeat count.

So how are you perceiving the world every day?

Are you the person who complains?

Or are you the person who endures the challenges and earns your purpose through them?

The choice is yours.

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. today I am grateful for the pain I have seen, heard, and felt... it is me, and it will help me become the man I am meant to be.