It’s been said that “the life you live is the life you get.” This is a good thing to keep in mind when you are feeling discouraged or facing a difficult decision. It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but it can make a world of difference when you do.
“The life you live is the life you get” may seem just another way of talking about karma. Be kind to others and life will be kind to you in return. But it often doesn’t work out that way, at least over the short term. Kindness isn’t always returned with kindness, and evil preys on the “good” and the “bad” alike.
“The life you live is the life you get” means that how you live your life determines its quality and depth. Live the life of the soul and you get the life of the soul. Live the life of the ego and you get the life of the ego. And the two are not equal in value.
Your soul carries the values and calling that form the very core of your being. When you serve your soul you honor your true nature and discover your destiny. You become the unique individual you were created to be. When you live from this spiritual core your emotions, be they happy or sad, connect to something deeper in yourself than your ego. Life is experienced as having depth, quality, and substance.
Your ego, on the other hand, is a plastic thing. Its relevance lies only in what it serves. Left to its own devices, disconnected from your soul, it yields shallow relationships and accomplishments, a caricature of life rather than life itself. Your joy is skin deep and your tears do not heal unless they come from your soul.
The quality and depth of life come from the way you live it. There is no need to wait for karma to affirm your path. The life you live is the life you get, right here, right now, in real time.