I saw this post on the internet recently. I thought it was a poignant share of the realizations of one of history’s great creatives.
As a man myself, turning 60 at the end of this year, the reflections and realizations of a lifetime are real. When you reach this age, you know that you have less time on this earth than you’ve spent.
If you’re really lucky, you might get 40% of what you’ve experienced, and this realization is sobering, and thought provoking at the same time.
Charlie Chaplin is 26 in this photo.
He read this poem on April 16, 1959, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
I hope you find value in its words.
When I started loving myself
I understood that emotional pain and grief are signals warning me that I was living against my own truth.
Today, I know it’s called Authenticity.
When I started loving myself
I understood how much I could offend someone by trying to impose my desires on them knowing that it was not the right time and that person was not ready for it. And even when that person was none other than myself.
Today, I know it’s called Respect.
When I started loving myself
I stopped dreaming of another life and I could see that everything around me was inviting me to grow.
Today, I know it’s called Maturity.
When I started loving myself
I understood that I was always in the right place at the right time.
And I understood that everything that is happening is right.
From then on, I experienced deep peace.
Today I know it’s called Self-Confidence.
When I started loving myself
I rejected everything that was not healthy for me:
food, people, things, situations, anything that pulled me down and pulled me away from myself.
At first, I called it “healthy selfishness”, but today, I know it’s called Self-Love.
When I started loving myself
I stopped always wanting to be right,
and from then on I was less mistaken.
Today I understand that this is called Humility.
When I started loving myself
I stopped living in the past and worrying about my future.
Now I focus on my present, where everything takes place.
So I live each day to the full and I call it Appeasement.
When I started loving myself
I recognized that my mind could make me sick.
I had therefore called for help from the forces of the heart, which my spirit welcomed as a valuable partner.
Today I call this connection Wisdom of the Heart.
We need not fear arguments, conflicts, and problems with ourselves and with others since even the stars sometimes collide and create new worlds.
Today I know, it’s called Life.
– Charlie Chaplin, a poem written ✍️ by Kim McMillen
Want to re-invent your life, or perhaps experience this journey through a guided process?
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Password: LYMLab4U
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