As many of us grew up, we heard from the world around us that whatever we were doing, it wasn’t enough.

We could always do more.

We could work harder, study harder, play harder, try harder, win harder… The list goes on and on.

Work always came first. If you were not doing anything, someone could give you something to do. Don’t complain. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Most importantly, get over yourself.

The underlying implication was that we had to earn our right to exist. And if what we did wasn’t in line with what family or cultural expectations expected, we were considered lazy, irresponsible and ungrateful.

The problem is too many of us have misplaced our sense of self in how well we meet these expectations, rather than in the simple gift of being who we are.

Now, before anyone jumps on me, I am not saying applying ourselves is a bad thing. Of course, we should apply ourselves and bloom into the fullness of what God made each of us to be.

While some guiding principles are necessary to become who we were meant to be, each of our souls is uniquely and wonderfully made. Each of our souls contains a blueprint that is far more mysterious and intricate than can be governed by human expectations.

And that blueprint for existence is affected by more than what we do for a living, or how obsessively we do it. It is influenced by the people we encounter through our studies, work, and leisure. It is influenced by our interests in books, entertainment and hobbies. It is influenced by the little moments of our lives that no one else sees. Together, these factors interact to form us into who we are meant to be.

Our existence is a gift from God. And nothing we do, no matter how hard we try, can adequately compensate for this gift.

At the risk of contradicting myself, this existence should not be squandered.

To be alive is a great blessing.

And all of us are guilty of not fully appreciating just how much of a blessing it is.

Yes, we have challenges in life to overcome. These challenges are part of what molds us into the character that is in that divinely ordained blueprint. Each of us bears our own unique challenges, and it helps to remember that before we judge the way others handle their challenges, about which we don’t know the entire story.

To be born with our spiritual consciousness, to have the use of any or all of our five senses, and to experience life on this planet in all of its beauty, simplicity and complexity, is a blessing beyond what any of us can comprehend.

How is it that I should be part of this great big intricate web of being? What did I do to deserve this, we ask ourselves in moments of wonder and awe that stun us into silence.

The answer is not a single thing. Nothing we could ever do in this life could “earn” us a place in the great web of things.

Yes, God wants to see us fully realize our soul’s potential, however that is meant to be realized.

But before and beyond that, the greatest thing we can do to honor the gift of being alive is to recognize it. To live with wisdom, wonder, sensitivity, awe, humility, compassion, gratitude, kindness, gentleness and forgiveness in each moment of our lives. To be each other’s keeper.

By doing this, by living our lives with these qualities, we say “thank you” to our Divine Creator for this “one wild and precious life.”

And that, I think, is enough.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.