We live in a world that emphasizes outcome.
We are conditioned to measure our happiness based upon our success
because the more we achieve the more progress we have made,
thus equating to a supposed higher amount of happiness and fulfillment.
But what if that time spent "achieving" is spent in vain? What if our heads are so focused on our outcome that we fail to take joy in the journey, or even recognize that it is in fact a journey that we are on? What if we become so wrapped up in where we *think* we want to be that we fail to listen to ourselves, we become inflexible in our thinking and as we evolve with time, our goals and means of achieving these goals remain stagnant and non reflective of who we have become?
We hear the cliche all the time - "life is a journey, enjoy the ride".
Not until I have really taken time to think about my individual journey thus far have I come to realize that I have been doing it all wrong.
I used to think that if my experience wasn't directly correlated with my perceived future and my then established goals, then I was wasting my time. In the same sense, if I couldn't "see myself" marrying my partner it was nothing but a waste of my time and rather than enjoying it for what it was, I needed to get out while I was ahead. I became so accustom to the desire for instant gratification and my actions were fine tuned to the beat of achieving this perceived "success". I fought any inkling of indifference or ambiguity. The discomfort with indecision drove me to say "just pick SOMETHING" and a time later I found myself committed to something or someone that I had no personal investment in. With chapters closing and new ones beginning I find myself proceeding with caution . . .
There is a time for everything in life and only by listening to ourselves, becoming in tune with our needs and tailoring our goals to those needs, are we able to make decisions that we will endorse and stand by in the future.
I don't need to know all of the answers now.
I don't need to know where I will end up in life.
I don't need to know who I'll marry.
~ One more time ~
I don't need to know all of the answers now.
I don't need to know where I will end up in life.
I don't need to know who I'll marry.
. . . But I do need to take a deep and an invested interest in where I am
at this point in my life and engage in this experiment that is life . . .
I am one person in a world that consistently strives to find beauty and continuity in all things.
We all strive for maintenance and stability through accomplishment and certainty.
Now I challenge you to alter this frame of mind . . .
The sun WILL set every night, with different colors and arrangements, but it will set, nonetheless.
. . . Don't wait around for this poorly kept secret and miss the beauty that has led to the moment.
Accept that life is an ever-changing story, trajectories can change at any point and we must be open to this change in order to grow, realize self actualization, and become the most honest and sincere version of ourselves.
Δ∞