Published 3/21/16 – Edited on 4/26/19 This post has not been edited but only for grammar just so you could get a glimpse into the head of 2016 Dahlia.
Do you remember when you were a kid, always wishing you were older?
I remember when I was 10 wishing I was 13 because that was an important age.
When I was 13 I wished I was 16.
When I was 16 I wished I was 18 because I’d be an adult.
When I was 18 I wished I was 21.
I have spent majority of my life wishing I was somewhere else instead of where I was.
Typical adolescent behavior, but now that I’m 27, I now understand the importance of enjoying my journey. What do I mean by “journey”
My life. The good, bad and the ugly.
Your journey is the most important things in your life, because it’s your life.
No pressure. But actually, this shouldn’t be a fearful thing it should be an exciting thing. I think that’s why I tried to rush through it because I wanted to get to the good parts and skip all the bad parts.
When people decide to focus on their journey they think it’s going to be all sunshine and rainbows. No, no, no, no , no. This is the time to better know yourself, figure out what you want out of life, work towards a goal etc. None of that is easy which tends to discourage people and they give up on everything overall.
Take me for example, I had a plan for myself after graduate school. I would get an amazing job as an Account Coordinator, makes a nice amount of money and be content with life. As you can see none of that happened, AT ALL. And when that didn’t happen it kind of sent me on a downward spiral, I was sad, frustrated and honestly overall annoyed. I can’t tell you how happy I am that didn’t work out for me. I’m in a career that I LOVE.
This part of my journey wasn’t planned, but it happened for a reason. The lesson I choose to take from this is that there was and still is something bigger and better on the horizon for me.
Do not compare you journey in life to someone else. That is a VERY dangerous path that you don’t want to be on at all.
Your Journey is just that, YOUR JOURNEY. It isn’t right to compare yourself to another. everyones journey is different and I believe that’s what makes them so special! Experiencing life differently from those around you is the point.
When I was a child I always wished I was older so I could get to do all the cool things life had to offer like go to homecoming, prom, date, attend college and travel. While trying to tap into my past and reminisce I realized that I had spent majority of my life wishing I was somewhere else than where I was in life. I literally wanted to fast forward to the good parts. Typical adolescent behavior. but now that I am 27, I don’t really feel that way anymore.
I understand the importance of my journey in life. What do I mean by journey? Everything, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful.
The term journey to be quite honest intimidated me.
Like what was I suppose to do? Sit and twiddle my thumbs and let my journey happen to me? OR pull a Micheal Scott when he declared bankruptcy and say “I DECLARE THIS MY JOURNEY!”
I have done both and found out it’s neither of the two.
According to Eckhart Tolle
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
Eckhart had the right idea.
You’re going to have to work to create the reality you want and create your own path. Just waiting for life to happen to you is not the way to do it. You’re going to have to be an active participant in YOUR life. I have spent so much time just waiting when I should have been working for my reality. Trust, it isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows. You have to work at it. When you put in that work, that’s when the magic happens. It’s real! I’ve seen little glimmers of it. It may not happen immediately or how you imagined it but when it happens…
Take me for example, I had a plan for myself after graduate school. I would get an amazing job, makes a nice amount of money and be content with life because that is what I thought my happiness would equate to. As you can see none of that happened, AT ALL. And when that didn’t happen it kind of sent me on a downward spiral, I was sad, frustrated and overall annoyed. Why hadn’t my plans worked out? Was it something I did? Was it me? Was I not good enough? etc. Then I started comparing my journey to others around me, which is the worst possible thing you can do. My circumstances at the time really took a toll on me, so feeling tired and defeated I sat and waited, going through all the motions with no emotion, no passion, nothing. When I finally woke up I realized that the life I had planned for myself wasn’t what the universe had in store for me. So, what the universe presented to me I decided to accepted it as if I had chosen it. This was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was clinging to this life I had built in my head and I had a hard time getting over it and myself.
That’s part of the journey. And even though it was a tough time for me, there was a lesson in all of this…sometimes shit doesn’t work out. What matters is how you rise to the occasion. What matters is how you pick yourself up. What matters is how you adjust.
SO.
Approach your journey with an open mind and do not compare your journey to others. The differences in our journey is what make us and them (our journey) special.
So, stop and get to work, because there is something magical upon the horizon of you.
(I really wanted to delete this post, but for nostalgia, it shall stay)
