1. My Story
I’m going to share with you my story. I have no idea what to share, but I’m sharing with you.
Does this story have a happy ending? Does the character in question (me) now live a happy ever after kind of life? I guess you could say not really. I am a work in progress. But there is some kind of wisdom, some kind of life philosophy, that I want to share.
The kind of life philosophy that keeps me going in my darkest moments. The kind of life philosophy that helps me make unpopular choices. The kind of life philosophy that gives me hope in the possibilities of the Universe.
“Everything happens for a reason.”
It is not my philosophy — I didn’t originate it. But I look at life through these eyes, always. I’m the kind of person who finds meanings — hidden meanings — in things. That does land me in the camp of overthinking at times. But it also gives me the opportunity to connect with life in a profoundly deep level.
Why do things happen the way they do? Why do people act the way they do? There are reasons behind these, always. Things always make sense, and I see it as my role to be a puzzle solver, putting in pieces of the mystery called Life.
2. Everything happens for a reason. It’s your job to find out that reason.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not the purpose of life. I used to think so, and I was wrong. Life is not meant to be “solved” rigidly, because there is no joy in that.
But take the delight of mystery lovers who enjoy solving a good puzzle, watching a detective movie, or playing a mystery game. We inherently love finding meaning in things, because we know that there is meaning behind things, always. We just dismiss the possibility of what I call “the magic of Life” by shrugging our shoulders and say, “it’s just a coincidence.”
3. It’s not just a coincidence
There is magic in our normal, everyday life — we just call it a “coincidence”.
I want to tell you a story of a girl I know. She always believed that she was different from others, because she always saw another angle in life. She saw that there is an inherently deeper meaning to everything that she was experiencing. She wanted everyone to see this too. How could anyone not see this depth of the events that are playing out in their lives?
The girl grew up questioning herself and learned to suppress her thinking. She no longer felt the urge to share her thoughts or feelings with others, for she thought no one would understand. But she still believed, deep down, that life is not what we think it is. She believes that things are never as they seem.
That girl that I know, she is me. And I still talk to her to this day. Years later, when she felt safe enough to share with me her innermost feelings, I knew I had to do something about it.
4. Wonder
Why do I live with the philosophy of “Everything happens for a reason?” And why should you, as well?
Do you want to experience childlike joy? Do you want to talk to animals and plants? Do you want to receive help from invisible spirits? Do you want to make your dreams come true, in a miracle fashion?
This is the gift of this philosophy. This is why I live the way I do. While I put myself in situations that rarely anyone does at times (I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have the heart for it), life is always thrilling, ever-changing — and never boring.
Do you know when people ask the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For me, my answer was to become a kid again. Subliminally, I always knew there was a time that I was happy, pure, and excited for life. As a 3 year old kid, there was always a big smile on my face.
This is what we adults are missing in our lives — the childlike and innocence joy.
This joy comes from an endless stream of wonder, of asking “Why”. Of not accepting a shallow answer, like “That’s just the way it is” or “It’s just like that.”
Because of wonder, you open yourself to deeper experiences. This will mean that your highs can be extremely high and your lows can be extremely low — you are living on the edge, after all — but you get to see things beyond your physical senses. And yes, that is how you talk to animals, plants, make your dreams come true, and receive help from spirits.
I want everyone to lift their eyes beyond the mundane and see the mystical side of life. It pains me when I see someone who doesn’t have connection to life beyond the physical sense. Everyday life will just be a series of eat, sleep, and do. But imagine if you can live everyday life the same way, just adding more mystery and excitement to it — life will be so much more wonderful.
5. It’s really simple
Jeff Olson said, life philosophies are inherently simple — they’re so basic that a 6 year old child can understand it.
You don’t have to go to school to learn it. You don’t even have to understand it. You can benefit from the philosophy straight away by applying it into everyday life.
Say you just had a breakup and it really hurt. It happened for a reason. Your job is to find out what reason it was.
Some people just stop at that, shrugging “Eh, I guess it happened for a reason, but who knows what” and be okay with it. But when you try to actually find the answers, like, “Why did it happen? And why were you in a relationship in the first place?” you end up with learning so much more about yourself, and about life.
By constantly asking yourself “why this is happening?” or “what am I learning here?” and not settling for the superficial answers, you are practicing the skill of communication with magic, or, communicating with Life.
The truth is, life is magical, wonderful, and ultimately, stranger than fiction. The more we know how Marvel movies, Harry Potter books, or all the sci-fi novels out there reflect just a portion of the truth, the more we can get excited about living.
The real juice: Everyday Magic
Here’s the real juice of this philosophy: Whenever you ask a question to the Universe/ God (either directly or indirectly), you get an answer straight away.
You will know that it’s the answer you’re looking for, because you already know that everything happens for a reason, and that it’s “not a coincidence”, but just how Life communicates with you.
There will be uncomfortable patches in your life, but you will get to taste what it’s like to truly live on the edge of possibilities everyday. And that, is what I call magic.
