Believe in the journey
There will undoubtedly
be ups and downs,
but have faith in who you are
Trust in your decisions
Rely on your skills
Stand tall
from the support of family and friends
And never waver in your commitment
If you follow this path
that was meant solely for you,
you will reach your dreams
and all its wondrous glories.
With my daughter set to go to college in the next few weeks, I reminisced about my journey into higher education. I was so young and ready to take on the world with my hopes and dreams. I took many classes to get exposed to things I never knew about and met a ton of people from all over the world. I started off with a certain major in mind and then changed it over the course of the four years that I was there. I had no qualms about making the decisions that I felt did made me happy…and to this day I have not regretted it. After graduating, I took that vibrant enthusiasm and dove head first into what I can now call my life. Granted there were some bumps along the way and I made decisions that seemed quite drastic but, in the end, it was what was in my best interest. However, there was a period where I played it safe and made choices that I did not care for. Looking back on it now, would I still make the same choices…absolutely not. I’ve come to learn recently that life is really too short and I need to make the choices that will make me the happiest. It might not be the most logical one in other people’s eyes but who give a rip. This is my life and the smart move is to choose what I will like. We have one life, so why not make it an enjoyable one. The whole point of this is to stress that if you have a decision to make with your life, always listen to your gut and choose what will make you happy. That will always be the absolute best move to make.
Every day when I wake,
I take stock in what I have…
the strength from loved ones,
devotion from my family,
support from my friends,
affection from my pets,
my strong faith in God
Because of these simple things,
I take comfort in knowing
that I can take on…
any challenge,
face any dilemma,
make life changing judgements
without hesitation and total clarity
Because life is all about…
seeing what’s around us,
having an appreciation for all that we have,
a sense of gratitude for things we are given,
and the knowledge for making a difference,
not just in our lives
but in that of others
It is only then,
when we realize this
that we will truly feel
we’ve been bequeathed with
life’s blessings.
Constantly changing
Growing, learning…eyes open
Living fluidly
Surprises pop up
Opportunities galore
Time to shine and fly
If there’s something in your life that you don’t like, then do something about it. You truly have the power to make a difference. Nothing is set in stone, so be brave and initiate change. Get a clear picture of what you want and go for it with gusto. You may encounter failures along the way but stay true to yourself and know that you eventually get there if you don’t give up. You have one life, so live it the way you want to. There’s nothing that is so bad that you can’t fix or make better. Believe in yourself and have faith that life can be to your liking. Just dare to try.
There are times
when I often wonder
“What is my purpose in life?”
This conundrum,
this perplexing dilemma
hinders my daily progress
“Do I continue as I’ve been?”
“Or do I alter my path?”
With deep contemplation
and extensive introspection
I’ve learned that
I have no real true goal
As long as I let my heart
guide my intentions
and lead my actions,
my journey has meaning
Striving not for
fame, wealth or success,
but achieving self-worth,
being of value,
spreading my love and light
Contributing to the pool
of goodwill and positivity
in this world
is what I was meant to do.
Lost in thought
nowhere to turn,
what have I done
that makes this a concern
I’ve lived a life
of certainty and control,
stayed in my lane
eyes on the goal
But one fateful day
I decided to jump
Heading into the unknown
taking me out of a slump
These unchartered waters,
scary with every wave
What course do I take?
How do I behave?
This path that I’m on
terrifying and new
Has me out of whack
my life a bit askew
With the chips all down
and back against the wall,
staying strong is the key
to endure the long haul
I’ve learned to be patient,
I’ve learned to be kind,
I became more trusting
by using my heart with my mind
This bump in the road
riled with stress and strife,
I’ll get past this somehow
it’s my test in life
I have to be positive
never wavering in thought,
look at all that I’ve done
be grateful for what I’ve got
Life it too short
I’ll do the best that I can,
live for a better tomorrow
“Everlasting Hope” as my game plan.
While channel surfing couple years ago, I happened upon a channel that featured a 2014 movie called “A Most Violent Year”. Although I consider myself a movie buff, I’ve never really heard of this movie until that one fateful day. I won’t tell you what the plot was because I stumbled upon it and really didn’t watch it till the end. But I did happen upon a scene where a man by the name of Abel Morales said “When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.”
This one line totally resonated with me and I just had to write it down. I turned off the TV and soaked in those words. I took it to heart and it quickly became etched within my subconscious. You could almost say that I had an epiphany of some sorts.
This one quote, this one line from a movie I have never seen told me that in life, you need to take chances regardless of the outcome. There are times when you’ll succeed and there are times when you’ll fail, but you must learn from it in order to grow into the person that you were meant to be. Life is too short to play is safe, it needs to be explored with eyes wide open. Life if full of endless possibilities with the potential to be great.
I took this to heart and felt that I needed to try anything even if it took me out of my comfort zone. I lived by the code of being open to different things; doing so would broaden my horizons both mentally and physically. Living by this way of thinking helped me to try different things; just facing the impossible or the uncomfortable with complete abandonment. Living this way made me realize that to do these things require both strength and faith; the will to pursue what your heart desires with the self-confidence to know that you’ll achieve something positive from it regardless of the results.
Ever since then, I’ve been bestowed with nothing but great outcomes. I dared to take a chance and came out a winner so to speak; I count my blessings everyday for doing so. So if you are faced with doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone, go all in and bet on yourself. The first step will be scary, terrifying even…but the end results will be much more rewarding. Take that leap and dare to be great!
Midlife, Maniacal & Me 