When my granddaughter was younger and we were reading together, I would often help her turn to the next page in her storybook. Sometimes she tried to turn two pages at once. Sometimes she had trouble finding the corner of the next page. Sometimes she simply lost her place. Occasionally she got so caught up in one particular page, she had trouble moving on. Of course by now, you know I am not talking just about my granddaughter, I am also talking about you. Do you need help turning to the next page in your life?
Assignment
View your Book of Life as a travel diary. The more things you experience, the more pages in your book. The secret of a long and happy life is to keep reading—keep experiencing—keep adding neat, new pages to your book.
Your Book of Life is a very unusual book since you are both the author and the reader of this book at the same time. You write each page as you go. So let me ask you some questions:
What page are you currently on?
What is the title of the chapter you are writing/living?
How does this chapter progress?
What is the title of the next chapter?
How do you get from where you are to the beginning of the next chapter?
What are the main themes in your Book of Life?
What could I learn from reading your book?
Are there any unresolved issues in your book?
What could you put into future chapters of your book that would add even more interest?
Have you been on the current page too long—is it time to move on?
Answer these questions. By so doing you will become a more skillful author/experiencer. Don’t get stuck on your current page. Don’t repeat on this page what you have lived on earlier pages. Don’t stop writing by going back and simply re-reading previous chapters time after time. Experience your freedom as the author of your life.
Realize That
You can take your book in any direction you please.
You are not bound by what you have written/experienced in earlier chapters.
You live in an open universe—you are limited only by your ability to claim that freedom.
It is your book—do with it as you please. You are a free agent. Don’t blame other people or situations for where you now find yourself.
You wrote yourself into your current life situation and you can write yourself out of it. Is it simply time for you to turn to the next page?