Your dreams and ideas are a beacon to your purpose

Dear...

Ever wondered why dreams and ideas can occupy someone thoughts, even to the extent that it completely takes over a person's life.

Some people pursue a dream or an idea as if they are completely possessed by them. When this person is successful in its pursuit of his/hers dream we tend to all admire  him/her, but when this person is unsuccessful, we often think it was an obsessed madman.

Not wanting to belong to this last group causes many people to no pursue their dreams or ideas, but this is not the point of todays blog.

What I would like you to challenge with is the thought that perhaps these dreams and ideas are not random at all. I want you think about the concept that our ideas and dreams might conceal our purpose in life.

Can it be true that the universe is talking to us through our dreams and ideas, that it challenges and invites us to go after these dreams and ideas in order for us to become who we are destined to be?

Is this concept truly so far fetched? Think about all the people that have changed and shaped the world. Read about them and you will see that they were all pursuers of dreams and chasers of ideas.

jeandorff@googlemail.com
http://facebook.com/jean.dorff
http://www.pinterest.com/jeandorff/inspiration/

"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~ JD

The struggle to find a life's purpose...

Dear...

Imagine you were born a few thousand years ago, you didn't have to make a choice what job you were going to do or what profession you have to learn. You would live in a time where you had to take care of everything yourself, hunt or gather your own food, prepare your meal, you made your own entertainment, fixed your own housing and was your own medical service. You would not be stuck in a role that wouldn't fit you, because there was only one. There were no specialists only generalists.
Society, especially in first world countries, have changed dramatically. You can be a general thinker, but there are almost no real 'general jobs' anymore. Just some decades ago, when someone asked you what do you do for a living, a simple answer like I work at an office, I work in a factory, I work on the land was sufficient.  Everything was more general. I think its great that nowadays we have so many specialists in so many areas. But what if you are not wired liked that and you are stuck in a "specialist's job" but your nature forces you to always look more at the bigger picture of things. There is no education for that and there are no jobs like that either.

If people like this grow up in an environment where this 'general' way of thinking is recognized and stimulated they will often be very successful in life. However when people like this grow up in an environment where this thinking is not taken serious and even suppressed, they will often live a life full of struggle and in many cases lead a life of depression, obsession and  addictions.
People who recognize themselves in this tend to look different at the world. They have a natural drive to seek answers to the bigger life questions like: where do we come from, what is the meaning of life, is there a purpose of life etc. If life philosophy was a common profession then that's probably where you would find these people. Most other people would call them dreamers with less sense of reality. The truth is that these 'dreamers' just look different at life feeling they can only be happy when finding their life's purpose.
In my to be published book I'll paint the picture of such a dreamer and his life long struggle to find his purpose in life.

Jeandorff@googlemail.com
http://facebook.com/jean.dorff
http://www.pinterest.com/jeandorff/inspiration/

"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~ JD

It's A Wonderful Life...

Dear...

Today was Sunday, it is freezing outside and too slippery to go out; what better thing to do than to watch an old movie? With Christmas approaching you can't go wrong with "It's A Wonderful Life". A  movie directed by Frank Capra, with the unforgettable James Stewart and the beautiful Donna Reed in the leading roles.

George Bailey (James Stewart) tried his whole life to escape Bedford Falls, a small town community, but never succeeds. His sense of responsibility to take over his father's old job  keeps him from seeing the world and getting a college degree. When he seems to have found peace by staying in his hometown and starting a family with his high school love, an unexpected event drives him close to commit suicide. He believes that his life is worthless, with no meaning for others. An angel named Clarence saves George and shows him how the life of people would have been if George wouldn't have been in their lives. 

This old black and white movie delivers a very profound message. Life doesn't always fulfill the dreams we hope for, sometimes our destiny drives us to do things we might not like so much but can be very meaningful for others. 

If you follow my blog you know I'm all about chasing your dreams and living boldly, but I have to add that there is probably no higher calling than a life of serving others even if it's not the life you dreamed of.

jeandorff@googlemail.com
facebook.com/jean.dorff
http://www.pinterest.com/jeandorff/inspiration/

"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~JD

There is never nothing going on...

Dear...

A number of years ago I made my first business trip to India. After a 14 hour flight to New Delhi and a far from eventless ride from the airport to hotel, I was ready to crash in my hotel room. The front desk staff suggested however something more attractive, they said Mr. Dorff why don't you go to one of our spas, it will refresh you before you have to start your work tomorrow.

Now I can tell you how great the Ayurvedic massage was, with scented oils and meditative music in the background, but that is not the point of this story.
Part of the treatment package was to have a consult with an Ayurvedic astrologist. I'm not a believer of the influence of planets and the moon on our wellbeing, but I thought hey it is for free and it is after all ancient knowledge.

The astrologist started with asking me the date and time of my birth, he needed exact information in order for him to make accurate predictions. And although I didn't know my exact time of birth, he told me, to my surprise, not to worry since he had other ways to get it. For a moment I was puzzled and wondered how he would be able to retrieve my exact time of birth. I couldn't see a way unless he would call my mother. Seeing the impression on my face, he said: Jean, why do you think that the time of your birth is more significant than the time you walked into my office? This insight struck me like lightning.

The character Socrates in Dan Millman's book 'The Way of the Peaceful Warrior' said: "There are no ordinary moments". In my mind there is no more profound way to explaining the power of now than this quote. Being caught up with things that happened in our past or being occupied working with events still to happen, we often forget what's going on in our lives at the present time. Eckhart Tolle said: "Most humans are never fully present, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one."

Once you see that that there is only this moment, you will see that there is significance in every moment, as the astrologist in New Delhi did when I walked in his office.

jeandorff@googlemail.com
facebook.com/jean.dorff
http://www.pinterest.com/jeandorff/inspiration/

"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~JD

When great men die ...

Dear...

Nelson Mandela, a great man, died on December 5, 2013, 95 years after he was born on July 18, 1918. Nelson Mandela made history with his fight for freedom, equality, human rights and peace. He had to face the worst adversities before he became who he was.  Like Nelson Mandela, it seems that all great people have to go through numerous adversities to become the icon we know them by.  The life stories of these people are bigger than any fictional story and for me it is how they have overcome incredible hardships and tribulations that is most inspirational.

Nelson Mandela at first an advocate for armed resistance to apartheid, became after 27 years of imprisonment the first elected black president of South Africa and the fighter of human rights and peace. When you study great people like Mandela, you will find that it is their specific way of thinking that made them attain the impossible. They have an unshakable conviction that everything can be achieved if you stay focused and keep believing in your goals no matter what roadblocks you come across. Nelson Mandela said: "It always seems impossible until it's done".

A great man has died, but we can keep his mind alive by following his example that resilience, focus and unshakable belief in a good cause will overcome all adversities. It is people like Nelson Mandela who truly believe that we need to live with passion and that we are all destined for great things.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Thank you Nelson Mandela, RIP....


jeandorff@googlemail.com
facebook.com/jean.dorff
http://www.pinterest.com/jeandorff/inspiration/

"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~JD

We can live forever...

Dear...

The US declaration of independence says that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with unalienable Rights of among others, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

When I read this for the first time, I was inspired by it and it prompt me to scrutinize my own life and see if I was not squandering these rights.

According to Bob Proctor, most of us are not taking full advantage of the unalienable right of life as mentioned in the declaration of independence. In his freedom series, he gives a bleak and unfortunate true picture of how most people live, how they maintain their status quo and how they focused on consolidating what they have than trying to break new grounds and go beyond the boundaries of comfort.

Now it's only you who can judge if you truly live your life to the fullest; if you live it with passion and love for life; if take it as it comes and make the most of it; if you rather lead than follow; it's only you who can make a choice to be a contributor or just a bystander and it's only you who can decide to live a life with purpose and to leave a eternal legacy.

I dedicate this post to my brother Herman, who passed away three years ago. His legacy is his love for life, he lives forever through his art, his photography, his love for music and most of all his love for his wife, kids and family.

jeandorff@googlemail.com
facebook.com/jean.dorff
http://www.pinterest.com/jeandorff/inspiration/

"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~JD