Do Not Live Half A Life: Are You Living Life to the Fullest?

There are times in life when we might feel unmotivated, unvalued, and unfulfilled. These times are often borne of poor communication on the one hand, and settling for much less than we are capable of achieving on the other.

To be unambiguous in our passions, how we express ourselves, and what we expect from others, is foundational to realising value and meaning throughout our lives, no matter how long or short our time on earth is.

Khalil Gibran is evocative in his poem 'Do not live half a life' from 'The Prophet'. He reminds us that we are responsible for our lives, therefore we should not settle for second best or any less than we are capable of achieving. We retain the power to walk away from situations that drag us down and diminish our spirit, and we should employ that power as often as we need to. Where we cannot completely remove ourselves from a negative influence, then we can affect an attitudinal change that allows us to see the problem from a different perspective.

Anyway, here is Gibran's reflection:

'Do not live half a life

and do not die a half death

If you choose silence, then be silent

When you speak, do so until you are finished

If you accept, then express it bluntly

Do not mask it

If you refuse then be clear about it

for an ambiguous refusal is but a weak acceptance

Do not accept half a solution

Do not believe half truths

Do not dream half a dream

Do not fantasize about half hopes

Half the way will get you no where

You are a whole that exists to live a life

not half a life'.

The questions of life, and how we best live it, are questions we explore in Logotherapy & Existential Analysis. For example, how do we find meaning in unavoidable suffering? How do we navigate friendships and make the best of existing relationships? How do we live meaningfully when we have a chronic or life limiting illness?

If these are issues that you'd like to think about further, you can contact me via this site and we can arrange an appointment. Sometimes only one session is required, depending on the complexity of issues you're experiencing.

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