“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Abraham Lincoln
How many people do you know who are moving through life on autopilot? Are you one of them? When you stop to look around at the life you’re living, is it what you imagined your life would be? And perhaps the most important question…are you happy with the life you’ve created?
Few people would say that the life they planned for themselves growing up, or even in college, mirrors exactly the life they’re currently living. And that is okay! It probably wouldn’t be the same as what we want out of life now, in our current age and stage. More importantly, are you living a happy life that you’ve designed and created by choice? Or are there aspects of your life that have emerged due to circumstances somewhere along the way, which do not fit with what you ultimately want in life? If there are parts of you life where autopilot has somehow been turned on and you’ve become a backseat passenger, it may be time to get back into the driver’s seat!
There will always be external events happening around us that are not within our control, and in these cases, all that you do have control over is how you choose to respond. But that choice is still yours. In the end, the meaning that you attach to an unexpected event is the meaning it’ll have. Imagine that a big announcement is made at work that there won’t be any bonuses paid this quarter due to cutbacks. It’s difficult to argue that it would be a disappointing event, one over which you have no control. There are options, however, in how you respond. Maybe you respond by gathering around the water cooler with other upset employees to complain about how the company doesn’t value its employees and how unfair it is, but you still continue to show up for work everyday. Or, maybe you respond by re-evaluating whether or not the company’s values are in alignment with yours and if the future you envision has you working with the company. Your response is your choice in this type of circumstance. If you want a different future for yourself, you can view this unfortunate announcement from the perspective that maybe it is really happening FOR you, so that you can move forward in your career…rather than the no-bonus situation is a crappy thing that happened TO you, just because your employer undervalues its employees. An unfavorable situation, yes, but there is always another way to look at things. The point is, you must be an active participant in deciding where life takes you. If you love where you are, great! If you don’t, then think about what you DO want and how it aligns with your values – and make a plan to create that future!
Sometimes we may get into a comfortable groove and settle in because it’s easy. But if it’s not a place where we feel happy, then easy isn’t better. Change is never easy, but the discomfort is worthwhile, when it moves us closer to our dreams.
You get one life. Just one. Make sure you take every opportunity to make the most out of that one life and don’t get stuck in a comfortable groove just because change is hard.
Take some time and dream – envision your dream life. What does it look like? Once you gain some clarity on what that dream is for you, now ask yourself “how can I start moving just a little closer to that life today” and begin, little by little, creating the future the you want. After all, if you don’t plan where you’re going, you might not like where you end up.
XO
-Chelsey
