The other day, I saw a Facebook memory from 7 years ago… a wonderful date I went on with my daughter Megan. We enjoyed dinner in Toronto then took in our first live production together, “The Sound of Music” at the Princess of Wales theatre.
(Celebrating Megan’s 14th birthday)
In case you’re not familiar with the 3-hour musical…
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is about a young Austrian woman studying to become a nun in Salzburg, Austria in 1938 who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess to his seven children. After bringing love and music into the lives of the family through kindness and patience, she marries the officer and together with the children they find a way to survive the loss of their homeland through courage and faith. (excerpt from Wikipedia)
People seem to love or hate this movie, but I enjoy the music, the story lines and the humour.
Though Maria is studying to become a nun, she takes on a role as the governess to seven children, then falls in love with the Captain. Guilt and confusion cause her to return to the abby where she hides from the outside world.
“Maria, these walls were not meant to shut out problems. You have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live.” Mother Abbess
Maria, was always a bit unorthodox as a nun and many including Mother Abbess were not convinced she was suited for a life “devoted to the Church”. Convinced Maria is hiding from the life she has been called to, she encourages her to return to the villa, the home of the Von Trapp family and “look for her life there.”
Of course not before singing the following words…
“Climb every mountain, search high and low, follow every highway, every path you know; climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream, a dream that will need, all the love you can give, every day that you live…”
You were singing weren’t you. It’s okay.
The point is obvious isn’t it? We can either hide from the life we really want or we can go after it.
5 Ways You Know You’re Hiding From The Life You Were Created For
- You’re playing it safe. Maria, returned to the abby, not because of a desire to live as a nun, but to hide from what she really wanted her life to look like.
- You’re giving into fear rather than embracing it. Fear can stop us in our tracks…and Maria was afraid of the love she was feeling…assuming until then she would live the life of singleness as a nun. Fear caused her to retreat into the safety of the abby.
- You choose what’s familiar over what makes you come alive. Maria hid in her room but the familiarity of the abby only served to make Maria more distraught and unhappy.
- You ignore the input from those who have your back. Maria, was not interested in the insights from those around her who could see she was unhappy at the abby and had to pursue a different life.
- You routinely think about pursuing other things in your life, but you never take action. When was the last time to paused long enough to take stock of your life…Your relationships, your career, your finances and your core values. Are you living the life you were created to live?
Ultimately, Maria, left the abby and returned to the villa, was reunited with the children she loved and eventually got married to the Captain. She said goodbye to her old life to pursue a new one. Oh and by the way…though she was living the life she wanted, the family had to leave their estate and their country to avoid the Nazi regime. And it was still worth it.
Whether you like the Sound of Music, or not, a clear takeaway is that we can either pursue a life we really want to live, or remain stuck in comfort and safety. But you can’t do both.
“These walls were not meant to shut out problems. You have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live.”
Q. If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would do that you’re not doing now?
Q. Have you been playing it safe? What has been the result?
Q. If you could make one change today, what would it be?
Q. What is one thing you can do to move toward the life you were created for?
Are you looking to make some changes? Life coaching can help. Contact me to arrange an initial free 30 minute Discovery Call. Let’s talk.
Be First to Comment