I grew up with a certain, and very specific, plan for my life.
I thought that was what I wanted. You know, college, marriage, house, babies, career success, retirement, travel, grandbabies… I had it ALL laid out.
But then, as they say, life happened. All kinds of plans were thrown out the window.
And, oh, was I panicked. I went through such a period of growing pains in my early 30’s. I’m not gonna lie — going through it was kind of a nightmare.
However, I’m super grateful for it, all the same.
It led me to re-examine my life choices. All of the time I spent making plans and setting down a laundry list of crazy expectations for my life. And I say “crazy” now because, while the plans themselves were relatively realistic, planning decades in advance is legit insane — and not a little bit controlling. Also? To have your whole life planned out in advance is SUPER boring. What if some amazing opportunity comes along that is TOTALLY off the beaten path of your life’s plan? Because you don’t know the outcome, will you avoid taking the risk?
Will you, unknowingly, reject the purpose of your life, just because it’s not “part of the plan”?
I’ve learned that while letting go and embracing the present can be tough — and maybe something many think can’t be done — it’s actually necessary.
COVID-19 is teaching us ALL this, am I right? What plans have been completely altered because of the pandemic?
Circumstances change, people change, and the only thing we can control is our own reaction to these changes. Roll WITH them, and grow FROM them.
Or sink.
As Oprah once said, “Doing the best you can in this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
I think that’s all we can really do. Focus on doing our best now, so that our future is set up for success. After all (to throw out yet another cliche), success is where hard work and opportunity meet.
And life is to be enjoyed.
Kate Cod 