Stop Waiting & Start LIVING
Hello! To my dreamers and lovers. My fellow Visionaries and Bosses. To the planners, and over-thinkers, and everyone in between. you know who you are.
All I ask of you all is to take a deep breath. For a moment, just stop. For the first time in a long time, stop existing and actually start living in your moments. Love your actual life. Stop taking it for granted, wishing for something 'better.' Take a deep breath and cherish the life you live.
In the past, I have allowed my own self-criticism and need for perfection turn my real-life experiences into fabricated, too-well composed moments. Looking back, I cannot change the way I used to operate, but I truly understand how I used perfection as a safety net to avoid making mistakes, and doing/say the wrong things.
Realistically, that is not the way anyone should experience life. Below are the adjustments I made to enjoy my life—from the big moments, to the everyday small moments.
1. Stop living in the past
I get it—past life experiences ultimately shape who we are. No matter what, we cannot erase the past, and everything happens for a reason. But at the same time we should never let the past dictate our present. How can you honestly enjoy life if you harbor emotions from old situations? I understand that it can be difficult to accept the way some things have played out, but remember moments are temporary, and that tomorrow will have new moments. Just because things abruptly fade, do not mean they have ended forever. Your heart may have ached in the past, but it is not broken.
2. Change your mindset
Adios to harboring emotions, old situations from the past, and all the extra. Hola, to new beginnings that are really your truth. The truth is what you are destined to do. In order to live the life of your dreams you have to make the conscious decision to allow happiness + healing. Like Miss Jill Scott said, "You owe life, life does not owe you." We have choices in life. An individual can easily be stagnant, possess a draining 'woe-is-me' mentality, expecting their life to change overnight. Its such a easy choice to feel sorry for yourself. But, instead of carrying all that baggage, one must let go and be willing to begin again. Notice, I did not say 'reinvent' or 'start over.' I am not romanticizing the notion of trying to become a completely different person. No! We are only human and we are not perfect, so all we can do is begin again. We are not broken. We are not defeated. We are simply beginning again. How does one begin again? One must wake up tomorrow morning and smile, think positively and want to live a worthwhile life.
3. Enjoy Simplicity
You know that cliche: less is more. Well, I actually love how straightforward and effortless that saying is. Certainly a easy motto to remember to and live by. Evaluate your personal life for a quick moment. Do you really need dozens of 'friends' who bring nothing more to the table than gossip, rumors and multiple personalities? Is going out every weekend really that fulfilling? Do you seriously need to commit to multiple engagements throughout the week to feel like you're a part of something? NO! Of course not! Life does not always have to be this fast-paced world that lacks poise. All you need in this life is yourself, one or two people that truly have your back, a minimal list of engagements and a few things that keep you grounded.
4. Realize, "No life is perfect."
Scrolling through social media feeds, we are bombarded with lavish HD Snapchats, extravagant couple goal candids and opulent pics of Bora Bora vacays. Realistically, having a baby Louis Vuitton under your arm, three dozen roses and being in a relationship does not define happiness, purpose + life. No one's life is perfect and a lot of things we never even anticipate are thrown in our directions, creating flawed moments and imperfect episodes. But, just like beautiful moments, not so beautiful moments are aspects of our lives, too. That is why you must not take life for granted! Appreciate the good and bad, and never break your stride.
