When we are asked what's most important in our lives most of us respond with family, good health, food to eat and a warm bed at night. All the right answers that everyone thinks we SHOULD care about.
Don't get me wrong, my family, good health, delicious meals and a cozy home are all important to me. But over the last few years, I have recognized the benefit of finding happiness and stillness in my everyday life. My favorite bible verse is "Be still and know that I am God". By finding moments to be still, and sit in peace with my breath, I have discovered a deeper happiness. I'm finding what's actually important to me.
In the stillness, I am [hopefully] able to tune out the noise. In the quiet, I can ignore the voices that say what I can't do, and dismiss the feelings that suggest I won't succeed. When I sit with myself, I have started to feel confident in what I know and what I can offer to those around me. Deep down, I have known this all along!
At 50 years old, I have made my peace with who I am. Turns out - it takes about that long to figure it out AND accept it.
The best advice I can share is that when you set out to try something with assurance and confidence that you'll be successful - you will succeed. And when you are certain you can't do something - you almost certainly won't.
This is not to say it'll be easy. You need to put the work in.
This means:
Investing in the right training
Finding proper tools
Surround yourself with people who believe in you
Seek guidance from those who came before you
Find a good partner/cheerleader
This also means:
You will fail - get over it; fail fast and try again
Others will reject you - get used to it; your people are out there - keep looking
You will have lean times - learn from those times
You may find yourself down the wrong path; turn around when this happens - so the return journey back will be shorter
Along the way - make time for things that make you smile and bring you joy. We are here to live, laugh, love, and learn. It's a bit cheesy but when I lay down to rest at the end of my life, I plan to have many more memories than regrets.
