There is no struggle more difficult than that of our quest to understand our purpose.
The title and screenshot above comes from the movie, “The Land Before Time,” which was released in 1988 – I was 7 years old.
For those that have never seen the movie, take some time to watch the clip below to give you the essence of the film’s ending – and for those that have seen it, let me hope that this will be a beautiful opening to tapping into your very own “Great Valley” of today…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EojOk3jUw_E
“Ramy, this is a little strange. Why did you make me watch this?”
It’s beautiful, emotionally raw and relevant.
This 29 year old clip, no matter what you think of it, serves as a great depiction of our very own quest to find what we believe to be, The Great Valley of our time.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane…
At an early age in childhood, through our education, watching television, reading fables, going to our religious places of worship – there was this notion of a promised land, a promised place where euphoria and utopia revealed themselves to us.
When all seemed lost and despair seemed inevitable on the horizon…suddenly…there it appeared having always been there, but never found…”The Great Valley.”
What The Great Valley looks like and means to us individually is all relative, yet its sheer existence in the backdrops of our mind is what truly unites us as we continue to find and reevaluate what matters most to us as we work everyday to get ahead.
Our value systems, our beliefs, and our quest for purpose and deeper meaning – these are our guides to The Great Valley.
What does this all mean Ramy?
Many of us continue to have the idea about The Great Valley being represented by beautiful trees, honey, waterfalls, an endless abundance of leisure and pleasure personified by bountiful sunshine and greenery…
…that of course is not what most of us see everyday! If you do, well lucky you!
It’s the naked eye that seems to win the short game over our imaginations.
In our “grown up, modern” day world, this translates into financial freedom, safe environments for our children, job security, putting good food on the table, taking vacations, and affording that house or car we’ve always wanted.
For many of us, that comparison sure makes a lot of sense but I believe The Great Valley runs deeper…after all, it is a valley!
…You see it may never have been about finding The Great Valley, but LIVING IT.
If you can understand that, than understand this…
“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants.” Henry David Thoreau
It’s you who is putting in all the long hours and the sacrifices and it’s you who is making the decisions impacting your future. Be busy, be productive, be aware of the goals you are working towards but also be present in your journey.
Perhaps The Great Valley means a life full of financial abundance. Perhaps it means overcoming an illness or a loss in life. Or perhaps The Great Valley means finding your partner to share your life with.
Our basic human needs are no different from one another.
Like you, the internal struggle of self-realization and potential has long kept me awake at night thinking if I am on the right path, and if I am doing things in my life that I would be proud of.
My paternal grandmother used to always tell me a quote that she learned as a child growing up in an orphanage school in Lebanon, and it was something like this…
Comfort comes not from a good night’s sleep but through diversity and change.
…and that statement summarizes my personal quest inside The Great Valley of our time.
Growth through continuous positive diversity and change.
Challenging our own self-constructed mental status-quo by continuously evolving equally as professionals and as people.
The Little Foot inside of us, may make us feel helpless if our current state does not match with what we had thought or intended…
…BUT…
You’re still here aren’t you? You’ve still got years ahead of you right? You’re still breathing right? (I say this a lot to myself actually)
Yeah, so?
Yeah, so you’ve still got a chance to make it count.
Thanks Little Foot…gosh I wish we knew what you did when you grew up!
Ramy Ballout
Founder at AirLinked™ (www.airlinked.com). Opportunity at the Airport.