life is

life is

Life takes people down mysterious, unforeseeable paths. You can plan, plan, plan until you're blue in the face, however it is rare for life to go accordingly. No one ever planned to invent the microwave or rubber tires, for instance. Greatness and success are often achieved through mistakes, not by some fictitious perfect plan. It is kind of like the saying, "you make plans, and God laughs."

According to the road map I set out for myself in high school, I am supposed to be a college graduate with a successful skin care line, married and a mother. There are a ton of factors, however, that I did not account for when making that naive, uninformed life plan. Based on my own expectations, I am one for four and a complete failure. All too often it is our own unreal expectations of ourselves that leave us feeling unsuccessful or inadequate when in reality, we are where we were meant to be. In our minds, the grass will be greener just on the other side of that hill and around the corner, but if we are constantly looking ahead, planning for better things to come our way, we will never take the time to enjoy what is, we will never achieve true happiness and who knows, tomorrow and that other hill may never come.

I challenge you to take time to enjoy the moment with me and stop dwelling on the past or constantly attempting to plan for the future.* We need to just be and accept and relish in what IS. What happens in the moment may surprise you.

*I am not suggesting that you forget your future, live wastefully, and never strive to do anything bigger. Of course goals and aspirations are important, but this concept extends way beyond that into the smaller, more significant facets of your life. I propose that, for example, when you are driving down the highway with your significant other through the beautiful countryside, listening to music and holding hands...soak up that moment and enjoy what IS don't sit there and ponder what you are going to do when you get to your destination. You can soak up that moment when you get there.