I was five years old when I believed that there was a way to the kind of happiness I wanted one day.
The fantasy stories Aunt Betty used to read to me had made me think in this way. Tall tales of virtue, love, sacrifice, altruism, and heroic deeds to achieve so-called love-related happiness. All that after the story’s characters have overcome all challenges and misfortune.
Those stories carried the message that everything they went through was worth enduring until the story’s last line, where “together they lived happily ever after.”
Childhood is a time when there are no limits to creativity. Children believe everything and that everything is possible, and it is when all they experience shapes and affects their lives and future endeavors in adulthood.
When I was fourteen, I dreamed of studying acting. That sounded like a crazy idea to my parents: my dad was a police officer, and my mother was a schoolteacher.
Most adults associate happiness with money, accomplishments, degrees, knowledge, prestige, and things on their list of goals. And of course, all that helps us to a better life and reach our goals and dreams.
Then, happiness is a common goal among all kinds of people.
Although we know that happiness is not a permanent state, but a bit of cheerfulness and excitement that will pass without leaving an impression on the way we live and behave.
We adopt habits for discipline, money management, time management, self-development, health, fitness, and the habit of attending church on Sundays. Habits are what we are. They mold us, shape our deeds, and constitute our character.
I was conscious of the power of habits long ago. For years, I read self-development books that greatly helped me. However, it was the Word of God that led me to discover a pattern of habits that every human being practices by default: Serving, Growing, and Sharing.
I would dare to say that this pattern is not exclusive to humanity but to the animal and natural kingdoms. I think this pattern was established in all life by the Creator at the beginning of the world.
Serve, Grow, Share is the pattern of habits that we all practice by default.
Some people have realized its potential and added intention to ignite this pattern of habits as a way to a fulfilled and purposeful life, especially when using personal talents and gifts to serve, grow, and share.
Then, when I became an adult and a mother, I realized that having someone else to care for beyond myself was a great impulse and a powerful reason to pursue plans and goals, providing for my daughter in my way to achieve happiness.
Through the years, I have been capable of wearing many hats successfully, although none provided me the fulfillment that conveying a message and presenting it to an audience gives me. My childhood and adolescent love for acting and communicating was still there, inside me, like the light of a candle that resists extinguishing,
I remembered forgotten and unaccomplished dreams and goals lying in the chest of memories.
Yet, aided in my role as a mother and as a woman of faith by the wisdom of God’s word, I raised my daughter as a single mom.
The time was there for me to work on my given purpose, doing what brings joy to my heart. It was when I decided to become an author and motivator.
Life’s purpose is what makes life a worthwhile experience.
Purpose adds excitement and brings fulfillment to the heart. It seems like a goal reserved for the later years of life, but I would say it is the opposite.
Then, acknowledging our talents at an early age is a blessing, and being capable of developing God-given gifts and talents while making a living is even a greater blessing; first for young people who can have a good start, and also for those that decide at any given moment to make the change towards making the journey of life worth of living.
Every day is a new opportunity to start something or change what isn’t working; moreover, every morning is a new time for a better way of thinking, as the beginning of a new way of living.
The change begins with forgiveness.
Deciding to see the goodness of this world is a choice. Believe me, good things are happening around us that we can see if we look at things from a distinct perspective. It is easy to dwell on the past and think about things that do not add to us.
Yet, we can change that if we decide so.
Serving, growing, and sharing are habits that make a difference in how we approach our living experience.
Whether loving it or not, we serve at home as parents, we serve as employers or employees in our work, and we serve our communities as neighbors and taxpayers.
Whether we want it or not, we grow physically every day since conception in the womb, and we may grow healthy or the opposite. We voluntarily decide to grow mentally and spiritually. We grow our intellect or stay stagnant.
As we grow spiritually, we develop in God’s knowledge and faith, or we may grow in age and without hope if we turn our backs on Him. We choose how we grow, and its effects can take us up or down.
Whether by default or design, we all share love, time, common experiences, deeds, words, memories, heritage, and a legacy for good or bad.
No one escapes sharing and influencing everyone around, and at the same time, people’s influence extends beyond their circles, throughout the world, for good or bad.
Yet, love is what makes the difference when we serve, grow, and share; not only because of the impact and influence on others, but for the inherent sense of purpose, joy, and fulfillment experienced by each person who chooses to love instead of hate.
So, I encourage you to serve with love, grow through challenges, and share your light with the world!