this IS it

Last night I watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (great movie, if you haven't already seen it). One thing that really struck me about the movie (aside from it's beautiful and brilliant soundtrack) was this interaction between Nick and Norah after they missed seeing a beloved band perform:

 

Norah: Are you sad that we missed it?
Nick: We didn't miss it. This is it.

 

How true Nick's words are! So often we feel like we've missed something, like we didn't get the guy/girl, the job, the opportunity. We feel like we're living our lives missing out on some great adventure. Some of us think we should be shining stars in Hollywood. Some of this we should be writing the next great American novel. Some of us think we should be in the midst of a fairy-tale romance. (And, yes, I think I should be all of those things, ha!) But while we're dreaming and wishing and feeling those little pin-pricks of resentment for not having the ideal lives we want to have, our real lives -- the now -- is passing us by. As Nick says, "This is it." This is your life. If you don't like it, change it. If you can't change it, love it. Take a moment to think about Melissa Ferrick's song "Everything I Need":

 

I got money in the bank and I got a car to drive
I got a working set of hands that my guitar seems to like
'Cause I got a love that won't quit
And I've got time to rest, and I've got a clear, able mind
That sees my life going fine

'Cause everything I need is right here in my hands,
Right here in my hands, right here in my hands
'Cause everything I need is right here in my hands,
Right here in my hands, right here in my hands
I got everything I need

And I got a floor to dance on and I've got a phone to laugh in
And I got a tub to cry in and I got a bed to hide in
Oh, but sometimes I only see what's wrong
And sometimes I'm convinced my God has up and gone
I'll never write a hit song...
My love will leave me hanging on...

But everything I need is right here in my hands,
Right here in my hands, right here in my hands
Everything I need is right here in my hands,
Right here in my hands, right here in my hands
I got everything I need

I got money in the bank and I got a car to drive
I got a love that won't quit and a clear and able mind

Everything I need is right here in my hands,
Right here in my hands, right here in my hands
Everything I need is right here in my hands,
Right here in my hands, right here in my hands
I got everything I need

 

What do you really need in life? Do you have it? Probably. It's so easy, especially with the way media portray life, to think that you are missing out, that you're living a life that isn't the one you shouldbe living. Push the "shoulds" from your mind and realize that this is your life. This is it.

Okay, so now you're thinking to yourself, Okay, I get it, this is my life. But I hate my life so that pretty much sucks. If you're reading this and thinking that than this is my advice to you: CHANGE. No one is going to change your life for you. There is no knight in shining armor. There is no coincidental run-in with that famous music producer in the restroom. There is no magical moment when someone is going to come and save you from your problems. You make your life what it is. So if you don't like it? Change it. Small steps, big steps, take whatever steps you need to make your life the one you think you should be living.

And, don't worry, you didn't miss anything. Your life is going along just as it's supposed to. This is it so enjoy it!

Comments

[Heathcliff]

This is it! This is the moment! Definitely don’t expect someone to save you from your own life. I agree that you must either change or accept your life. Sometimes we make bad decisions and we have to forgive ourselves. Sometimes opportunities or people present themselves and we aren’t fully ready for them. Opportunity definitely knocks more than once (if we listen closely) and everything is a learning experience.
Since you are so fond of lyrics, I post these from the musical Jekyll and Hyde (a favorite tune for Olympic figure skating routines):

This is the moment!
This is the day,
When I send all my doubts and demons
On their way!

Every endeavor,
I have made - ever -
Is coming into play,
Is here and now - today!

This is the moment,
This is the time,
When the momentum and the moment
Are in rhyme!

Give me this moment -
This precious chance -
I'll gather up my past
And make some sense at last!

This is the moment,
When all I've done -
All the dreaming,
Scheming and screaming,
Become one!

This is the day -
See it sparkle and shine,
When all I've lived for
Becomes mine!

For all these years,
I've faced the world alone,
And now the time has come
To prove to them
I've made it on my own!

This is the moment -
My final test -
Destiny beckoned,
I never reckoned,
Second Best!

I won't look down,
I must not fall!
This is the moment,
The sweetest moment of them all!

This is the moment!
Damn all the odds!
This day, or never,
I'll sit forever
With the gods!

When I look back,
I will always recall,
Moment for moment,
This was the moment,
The greatest moment
Of them all!

[kirwin]

My favorite movies are always the ones where the hero starts at the bottom (or somewhere near the bottom) and rises through the ashes, using their personal skills and courage and strength.

It's true what you say: This is it. So is your movie {your life} going to be a tragedy, a comedy, or a tale of triumph?

[Roger - A Content Life]

Excellent point! If we're always waiting for a better tomorrow, we'll never see the beauty of today.

[freelance writing queen]

Once again, there's that tension that arises from the need for practical necessitites and your heart's desire. I find it hard to deal with a lot of the time but that's no excuse for not acknowledging the positives. A good reminder.

[Christopher Laney]

That movie has been in my queue for a while, but I believe I'll have to move it to the top now!

That exchange between the two characters reminds me of another movie-one of my top 5- Almost Famous. The main character, the 15 year-old prodigy, William Miller, has been touring with the band, trying to get his interview for Rolling Stone Magazine. He's well past the date he promised his mom he'd be back to take a school test, and he's super tense.

The band is mad at the lead guitarist for ditching them the night before, and getting all the attention, but despite the tension, when Tiny Dancer by Elton John comes on the radio, the band can't help but begin to sing along, until, the whole band, crew, groupies and William are all singing loud and carefree.

William is enjoying the singing, but shakes it off for a moment and turns to the groupie, Penny Lane, whom he secretly loves, and says, "I have to go home."

Penny waves her fingers in front of his face and says, "You are home."

I'm moved every time I watch it. While subtle, on William's face, you can see his whole reality shift, an awakening to what his life's purpose is.

But I don't do it justice. See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qn3tel9FWU

Nice post.

[Caroline]

Brilliant post!!! This is so very true. Life lies in the moment NOW. Life is not wishing that the future will be better. It's all about the now. And if your "now" sucks...change it. We all have the power to change, it's just a matter of getting off our butts and doing it! I am so inspired by this today...I think I will get off my butt and do something! :)

[Chris Edgar]

Thanks for this post. This reminds me of one of the themes I tend to stress in my own writing and work with clients -- the importance of enjoying the process of your work, as opposed to just the product. When our minds are solely focused on the product of our careers -- the money, prestige, and so on -- there's actually no way we'll ever be fulfilled, because our lives are nothing but process and this moment.

[Giovanna Garcia]

Everything I need to succeed in life, is either already within me or it is coming to me. All I need to do is to work my part.
Thank you,
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action

[positively present]

Heathcliff - Thanks for posting those lyrics. If you haven't noticed from the blog, I'm a huge fan of lyrics and music and those are especially fitting to today's post. I'm sure other readers appreciated them too.

Kirwin - Great question. We should all ask ourselves: what kind of movie do I want my life to be?

Roger - You're right. We need to focus more on today!Embrace the now!

[positively present]

Christopher - Definitely check it out. It was a great film. I loved it! Ooh, and I LOVE Almost Famous. Such an amazing film...it made me fall in love with "Tiny Dancer." Thanks so much for reminding me of that great seen when Penny says "You are home." That's exactly like what happened in this film. And, even though I've seen Almost Famous a dozen times, I think you did the scene justice. I hope others who haven't seen it check out the clip. Thanks for posting it! :)

Caroline - I'm glad you were inspired! Life is definitely about now and so many of us are unhappy with our now. We just need to get to it and change it! Happiness is up to us.

Chris - Great point. It's all about the process, the living, rather than the end goal. Life is about the now and if we are constantly looking to the future we will never be enjoying the present moment which is actually all we have for certain.

Giovanna - Those are lovely words. I love them. Thanks for sharing them with us. They are so true.

[Mark]

I love your observation of this great line in the movie! This is it! Such true and wise words. We are not missing anything, this is it! The moment we are in is it! Great thoughts, wonderful post.

[Liara Covert]

Love is all there is. The physical world is changing but the formless world beyond conscious radar remains as it always has. What you view and experience evolves with your perception, self lvoe and level of self-acceptance. As you move to the level of unconditional acceptance, then everything you sense transforms.

[Anita]

Great post! Thanks for including the lyrics. I'm going to have to go to youtube to see if she's got a video posted. I definitely agree when you say....if you don't like your life, Change it! And I really like the part where you say "There is no knight in shining armor...no magical moment when someone is going to come and save you from your problems. You make your life what it is." Many people just stay stuck in the complaining cycle and never make any changes. I hope some of them are reading your post. Take care, A.

[Ian]

Agree completely. I meet so many people who seem to be waiting for their life to start they forget that it started the moment they were conceived. These people seem to be asleep. There is no waiting. Only living.

[positively present]

Mark - Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you enjoyed the line from the movie. It really is a great one!

Liara - I completely agree: your view on the world is completely impacted by your perception and your level of acceptance (of yourself and others). Thanks for commenting!

Anita - You're right. People usually keep themselves in the same vicious cycles and then complain about it. If you don't like your life, change it! It's scary to dive into the unknown, but it's scarier to be stuck in an unhappy life.

Ian - Great comment. I love this: "There is no waiting. Only living." SO true!

[Liara Covert]

Musical lyrics draw listener attention to ideas and principles they deem important. It is part of a meaningful self-relfexive process. This can be uplifting and life-transforming even if unconscious.

[positively present]

Liara - This is an excellent point. Lyrics, which I am pretty much obsessed with, can transform themselves into vehicles for self-reflection. This is such an interesting concept!

[Chania Girl]

Positively Present, I'm positively HAPPY to have discovered your blog! Especially this little entry. What you say is so very true, and my own life experiences figuratively nod their heads in agreement.

I used to be someone (and hang out with many someones) who was always comparing my life to other peoples or to the lives portrayed to me in the media and feeling like I came up short. But then one day I realized the foolishness of this and how much it robbed me, and changes started happening.

As Indira Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." So very true ...

Thanks for sharing!

[positively present]

Chania Girl - Thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you like the blog and the post! The quote you posted, as well as your comments, are so true. It's up to us to create change and that never happens by simply sitting back and comparing our lives to others. It's tempting to do that, but it really gets us nowhere.

[Lara (Thinspired)]

Hi there, and thank you for stopping by my blog. I'm pretty blown away by yours. There are so many posts on here that I feel were written for me to read!

[positively present]

Lara - I'm so glad you enjoy the blog. Yours is great as well. Thanks for coming by and for commenting. :)