Looking back and introspection are valuable for discovering why we think and act like we do. Who we are was determined by the input of others and our own thoughts. Paths we traveled in life were chosen using a faulty and incomplete sense of self.
Doug and I were going through life on autopilot. we were told we were certain things, so we became those things. This is why many people wake up in the middle of their lives and ask “who am I?”. The Talking Heads nailed this metaphysical punch in the gut in their song “Once In A Lifetime”. I thought I understood this song in the 80s, when I was a little monkey. Only now, as a greybeard chimp, can I truly feel what the lyrics convey…
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.
And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right?…Am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
MY GOD!…WHAT HAVE I DONE?Letting the days go by…
It’s easy to keep meandering through life, letting outside influences guide you. It’s the path of least resistance, and it rarely leads to contentment. Meandering is a reactive way of living. Decisions are made and paths chosen as reactions to life. Worse still, is when the decisions are made for you and all that is left is ineffectual reacting… complaining and “poor me” mindsets.
I decided to get rid of the “re” and keep the “active”. Our past posts are about discovering who we really are and what we don’t want, and a bit about what we do want. Doug and I figured out which path to take. It was overgrown and weed choked, but we managed to hack our way through and found the beginning. This path was always there, overlooked and untended. we ran off with paints and chisels, trying to create happiness in three dimensions. Our monkey minds didn’t realize that happiness was within. Only through self examination and introspection did we (re)discover our path to contentment…
Doug and I intend to be a guide and a healer. I know, plural to singular… Doug can not operate independently of me though. Who would trust a stuffed monkey who walks up out of nowhere and starts talking about the “secret of life”? He’d probably get lit on fire…
Back on task! Our strengths are creativity and problem solving. we feel we can help others discover who they are and what they want to be doing. There’s too much angst and depression floating around life and the meaning of it. Doug and I believe we can cut through the haze of negativity trailing behind others, get them thinking healthy thoughts and guide them in unearthing their inner happiness.
Our life (we two monkeys) is a good example of reactionary living. We were told certain things at a young age, internalized them and lived them out. We didn’t really know what to do, so we became artists. What else could a creative person do? Back in the 80s the answer was “not much”. Most people even tried to dissuade us from being artists. Having a “real” job and a career is what adults did, not draw and sculpt and have fun. Life isn’t about fun! Life sucks, it’s hard and you do it anyway…
In spite of the advice offered we became artists. But we believed the lies too. We became municipal employees… we became unhappier. Only by stepping back, examining ourselves, our strengths and weakness and our desires did we discover that we want to have fun, create stuff, solve problems and help others. That’s it. We think a pretty good life can be built if we follow these desires though.
Our new monkey motto is “Have fun, make stuff, fix stuff and help”. We intend to be healers. We intend to heal wrong thinking and emotional confusion. Everyone can be what they dream of being… The difficult part is actually knowing what you want to be. Old dreams must be uncovered and visualized into reality. Dare to imagine happiness. The first step is clearly knowing what you want to do and be. What’s the second step? That’s where Doug and I swing in with crazy maps and monkey madness to help you find your path through life.
Our previous exercises were step one. Step two is declaring who you really are. Our past is a map leading us to this very moment. Are you ready? Grab your map, decide who the real you is, and let’s see where it leads to from here…
Doug Does Life 
So true, there is one authentic path we must travel and that is following our soul purpose, listen to our heart and intuition and trust the process. There is so much cleansing and releasing on the way, the old outdated beliefs of who we are and what other people think we should do with our lives. I am so glad more and more people are finding alignment with this wisdom. You are inspiration for many people. Thank you
Thanks! I strive to inspire others to follow their paths… It’s difficult and I still struggle with doing it. By sharing my struggles I hope others find the will to stick with their own authentic journeys. Sometimes living true to yourself is presented as a painless and easy thing to do, when it’s often the opposite…
I so much agree, specially when it comes to finances; I have to make a living, I have to pay my rent! we all have to go through this and I agree with this elder wisdom that says you have to move from survival dance to your soul dance. But we have to first master the survival dance before we can move to our soul purpose. But hopefully if we trust and walk in through it, the path will eventually become lighter, life does not always have to be struggle.. I sure hope so, and thank you for sharing your stories, its inspiring! I also hope to move from struggle to ease;)
I’m dealing with trying to do what I want and the need to make an income as well. I’m trying to combine the two.