Why am I here on earth? What makes me truly happy in life? How do I find my passion? I don’t know about you, but I am asking myself these questions more and more often as I get older. There is so much societal pressure to make more money, get that promotion faster, and show off the fancy car/house we were able to buy. Yet, there always seems to be a disconnect between what we can achieve and our happiness.
I distinctly remember several occasions in my career where I “achieved” what I thought I wanted – sponsorship to my MBA education, promotion to manager, appreciation from my boss on a job well done. I thought I would be flying high for awhile on the good news, but the feeling was always short lived. I immediately turned my mind towards the next “achievement” I needed to strive for and the fact I was not there yet. As a result, I always felt dissatisfied at some level after every achievement. Can you related to this feeling?
Ever since I noticed this thought pattern about 10 years ago, I started asking myself larger questions about the meaning of my existence and what really makes me happy. It’s amazing how hard it is to remember the answers I found even after I found them.
This is why I am so excited to share this excerpt from Jim Carrey’s Commencement Speech. He summarized in under 4 minutes everything I have been seeking and learning in the last 10 years
- Don’t be practical – dare to ask the Universe for what we truly want in life
- How to find our passion and happiness
Take 4 minutes to watch this video whenever you feel uncertain about your career or the meaning of your life. Jim Carrey may be one of the funniest man on earth, but I finally understand his true gift – he inspires us to laugh, act, and live life passionately and without concern. Thank you, Jim Carrey!
Transcript of this excerpt:
“You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about your pathway to the future, but all there will ever be is what’s happening here, and the decisions we make in this moment, which are based in either love or fear.So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect, so we never dare to ask the universe for it. I’m saying, I’m the proof that you can ask the universe for it — please! (applause) And if it doesn’t happen for you right away, it’s only because the universe is so busy fulfilling my order. It’s party size! (laughter)
My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant, and when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job and our family had to do whatever we could to survive.
I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. (applause)
That’s not the only thing he taught me though: I watched the affect my father’s love and humor had on the world around me, and I thought, “That’s something to do, that’s something worth my time.”
It wasn’t long before I started acting up. People would come over to my house and they would be greeted by a 7 yr old throwing himself down a large flight of stairs. (laughter) They would say, “What happened?” And I would say, “I don’t know — let’s check the replay.” And I would go back to the top of the stairs and come back down in slow motion. (Jim reenacts coming down the stairs in slow-mo) It was a very strange household. (laughter)
My father used to brag that I wasn’t a ham — I was the whole pig. And he treated my talent as if it was his second chance. When I was about 28, after a decade as a professional comedian, I realized one night in LA that the purpose of my life had always been to free people from concern, like my dad. When I realized this, I dubbed my new devotion, “The Church of Freedom From Concern” — “The Church of FFC”— and I dedicated myself to that ministry.
What’s yours? How will you serve the world? What do they need that your talent can provide? That’s all you have to figure out. As someone who has done what you are about to go do, I can tell you from experience, the effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.”
After listening to his speech, I told myself, Jim Carrey, watch out, as the universe is going to be busy fulfilling my orders as well. I ask the Universe to help me empower and inspire everyone to work smart and live more.
Your comments: How do you feel after you achieve something big? What will you ask the universe to help you with? How do you want to impact the world with your talent? I look forward to your comments