“Live Everyday Like it’s Your Last.” “Live Your Life to the Fullest.” “Regret Nothing.” “Find Your Passion.”
I know these wonderful thought provoking sayings are made with only good intentions. To remind us to take nothing for granted. Sometimes it’s a little too much pressure for me. I don’t have the energy to live everyday like it’s my last. Honestly, catching up with the latest episodes of The Walking Dead is me living my life to the fullest. I have lots of regrets and most have to do with not finding my passion. I also know that for the most part, I enjoy my life. I’m working on a new career as a professional speaker. I want to help other women reach their goals in health and well- being. It’s not easy reinventing myself. I have my days of doubts and concerns of how this will all work out. I realize that I wouldn’t stay on this path if I wasn’t feeling so happy about it. I think that is what most of us want out of life, to simply be happy.
Why do we have trouble finding contentment? When is it ever right? “It” being our weight, our pocketbook, our marriage our business, our home and our relationship with ourselves? Who has the time, energy or motivation to do more than what we are doing and yet it is never enough. Let’s be happy today. Today everything is right no matter what. Adversity is what makes us grow stronger. When all is going well, rejoice and be grateful. Not guilty because your friend is having a hard time or paranoid that the good time won’t last. See the journey that is life and take some chances. If you are feeling that life should be more, than you know it’s time to do something different. No one wants to fail, and yet, that is how we learn to be better. We all wish we could change the past. No one walks this earth perfectly. We are here to learn and to grow. We are going to make mistakes. The quicker we learn from our mistakes, the quicker we can move on to the next challenges life will give us. There are rewards and consequences for all of our actions. In one way or another we create our opportunities to do the right thing or fall short and deal with bad decisions.
Many of us feel trapped and won’t make a decision or plan of action to change the situation. Every action has a reaction and not doing anything can leave us feeling stuck. Energy begets energy. Do something, anything to get your energy moving again. Every decision you make should be the best one you can make at any given moment. If it turns out to be a bad choice, do your best to fix it, learn from it and try not to repeat the same mistake. Give yourself credit that you were acting on the best possible scenario and took a chance. Life is risky, but it comes with rewards. Believe in yourself, strength in your courage and most important of all, the ability to open yourself to love. Love of yourself and love of others.
Inspiration and motivation are wonderful catalysts in helping to achieve greatness. Of course greatness is subject to perception. All of us have our own definition of success. When I look back over my life, I want to remember the adventures I had, not how well I executed a sale or that I never ran out of clean clothes. I want my memories to be filled with family and friends, of dancing all night, of swimming in the ocean and of sharing a great bottle of wine with the one I love. I work out so I can eat cake. I do my job so I can afford a plane ticket. I keep my house clean so I can invite people over. I meditate to center myself. I love to talk, but I love to listen more. I have compassion and empathy to anyone who needs it. My life may not be summed up in clever quotes, but I try to be the best that I can be.