8th Feb 2024
Let me share one of the key life lessons that have guided my life over the years, and a small but wonderful book that has brought this lesson to the fore every time I have read it.
The book is Richard Bach’s ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull,’ which is a story about following your dreams even when they go against the grain.
It’s about making the most of the life you have been given.
In the book, Bach uses the metaphor of seagulls flying, to demonstrate that if we follow our dreams and achieve our dream goals, we too can soar.
The title character, Jonathan, is banished from his flock because his innovations in flight challenge the flock’s norms.
Bored with daily squabbles over food, instead of doing the same as the other gulls he decides to follow what his heart says. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself and learns everything he can about flying.
He is branded as an outcast, which leads him to spend his years in solitude developing his talents and broadening his awareness.
He enjoys a rich life in exile, whose joys he is unable to share with other gulls.
But in that period of reflection, he discovers that boredom, fear, and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thoughts, he ends up living along fine life.
The story conveys the message that we learn by taking courage and not by sitting idle.
Richard Bach has emphasized two things, one of which is that you don’t have to live within your limits even if everyone is doing it because it is your life and you’ve got the freedom to live it how you want.
The second thing is that your body is not your limit but it is just a thought you think.
Develop the boldness to separate from those who don’t understand the joy of doing things that we like.
One of the profound lessons I’ve learned from Jonathan’s story is how essential it is to release our belief in our own limits.
Leaving our minds and hearts open, leaves our minds and hearts open – to grow.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a simple story with a profound message – that we can all be so much more than we believe, or are given to believe.
That fortune, if you wish – is on the side of the bold, the adventurous, and the free in spirit.
Don’t limit yourself & stay blessed forever.