“Don’t live a a life that others want you to live, live your own life do what you love, chase your dreams and goals.“

 ~ Anurag Prakash Ray

In a recent post on “Just Be” I talked about how we are in a time of great spiritual maturity and enlightenment, where new discoveries about ourselves are being revealed, and how important, if not critical, it is to consciously participate in this process. A key word is participate—to take part or have a part or share.

To realize spiritual and personal growth, and to create and realize change in your life you have to participate in your life. You must be present in your life and take responsibility and ownership for all you have done, are doing and will do. Change is simply a process that can be initiated and consciously chosen or it can be thrust upon you by other people, experiences or circumstances. We are all here to experience change, so we can choose to embrace it or deny it. Embracing it, owning it, and being it will allow you to soar and experience tremendous spiritual growth.

If you feel like you are watching your life go by or maybe you are feeling uncertain, stuck, disconnected, unhappy or even fearful, and you are waiting for someone or something to change you or your life, then you are being a spectator of your life. You have become emotionally disconnected and unavailable from yourself—from your soul and its purpose.

Strangely, this may happen because it’s a “safe” place to be. It may be easier to blame others or life events and to live by expectations and “norms” instilled from childhood then to allow yourself to feel and experience all the highs and lows that come wtih learning, growing and living in this physical life. It may feel easier to be a spectator of your life versus being an active participant.

Yes, through life we will all be presented with challenges and difficultties, and can feel uncertain about where we are, if we “fit in” and where we are heading. But sitting on the sidelines and watching or wandering with a lack of direction with the excuse of not knowing where to begin or not having the energy to begin will delay your growth and ascension. All your experiences are yours to own and from which to learn. They are the lessons of your soul. But to keep repeating them in a constant pattern or cycle because you are fearful or not fully committed to change will keep you in a constant state of being the spectator.

If you are experiencing a sense of wandering or as if you are watching your life versus being in your life, you need to consider if what you are experiencing is a new phase where you have entered into a “discomfort” zone or whether you are stuck because you have yet to acknowledge and resolve what is holding you back and what is making you a spectator. For many, it can be living by others expectations or being put “in a box” of how or who they are suppose to be and living up to or by labels we let get assigned.

Using these lables, we learn to function or be in a safe zone, usually going through motions and living life unawakened. These labels make is easier to be passive or a spectator in our own lives. It’s easier to not challenge the way you are living your life, and it can be hard to break the pattern and to learn to think for yourself, to listen to your inner voice and follow you instincts.

It can be uncomfortable at first—but it’s the start to living your own life. This means giving serious thought to what you want to experience and what you would like to see in the world. It means dedicating time to defining the things you want to learn and create. It’s about taking responsiblity and creating opportunities for you—what you seek or desire, and embracing your purpose and re-discovering your Self.

What might help is to think back to a time or situation where you truly felt light or happy, where you felt connected or in the “zone” and where you felt nothing could stop you. You felt energized. You felt “right” where you were and inspired by where you were going. Your soul was talking to you. The signs where there.

Sometimes along the journey of life and spirtual growth we lose the signal of our soul and we fall into routine and expectation. We lose ourselves in the noise and become spectators in our lives—living by labels or others’ demands. It’s time to awaken to discover your authentic self. It’s time to live in opportunity, possibility, and creativity and your soul’s reality. It’s time to be a participant and an owner of your life. Here is some advice to help transform you from a spectator to a participant.

• Be honest with yourself about any difficulties or challenges you may be experiencing. Recognize them and your role in them.
• Accept your past and release emotional baggage. Feel the emotions, do not surpress or avoid them and then let them go.
• Give yourself time and space to reflect.
• Think about options. Brainstorm with no limitations or “what-if’s” or “should-have’s”.
• Really think through your intentions and write them down.
• Take action—even if it is just baby steps where you take manageable steps that move you to where it is you want to be.

I urge you to chose to be a participant in your life. I look forward to hearing from you on how you are transforming from a spectator to a participant!