This is it!
What does the phrase This is it! mean to you? For me it stands out as the title of a movie released 5 years ago. A movie about Michael Jackson and the rehearsals for a tour he was about to undertake. As we know, he died before it started.
The powerful reminder I took away from that film was about the passage of time, how short a lifetime can be and that, in each moment, this is it. Another reminder, what a gift it is to spend life’s moments expressing creativity in pursuits that bring joy and give to the world, as he was doing when he died.
In the film, Michael Jackson says “This is the moment. This is it; it’s a great adventure. I want to take them places where they’ve never been before.” What if this is the kind of thing you said to yourself before you entered this life?
And we never know when ‘this’ will be no more – for ourselves or those we love. That’s it. Gone. No more moments with Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, or my cousin’s grandson who died this past summer at the age of 8 months. IT, is always sudden, even if expected.
If you have gotten into a trance, a rut, or are thinking in any way that every moment of life is anything but a miracle filled with endless possibilities, what can you do?
- Breathe deeply and slowly and name what you see, hear, feel and notice in the moment. Do that a lot. Be present to your life.
- Consider changing something:
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
– Steve Jobs - Learn the difference between focusing on avoiding death (for example, worrying about Ebola Virus Disease) or quelling fears you may have and instead, put your attention on, and energy toward, living in your full joyous creative power. Actively melt your fears and consider the philosophy of Hunter S. Thompson: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow, what a ride!'”
- Attend my Self-IMPROV-Ment workshop. If you are playing, life’s working!
Go toward what feels – and think thoughts that feel – good, in a healthy, life-affirming way. Magnify what is good and desired in each miracle moment of possibility.
To quote Michael in the film, “I love you, I really do. We’re family, you know that?” Ah love, sprinkle that all over yourself, and on others too.
It’s all improv,
Jody Kaylor