"Today is your day to live by doing what you want. "
Last month my husband took his first trip to Europe, at the age of 71. We'd planned many things in our lives, but work, schedules, kids, money, time... etc., always got in the way. You name it, we made an excuse for it. Were they valid excuses? Absolutely. But...
Validity does not equal reality.
The reality was, we could have.
Today's reality is... we are.
My dear friend An said, "she knows there is nothing she can't do." She just wishes she came to this conclusion earlier in her life. This is my message to you:
There is no time like the present, just do it.
Last night I spent the evening with extended family. My sisters were talking about Disneyland. One sister said her kids had never been because "they couldn't afford it." This has been the theme of her life... "I can't afford." But the reality is, she could have afforded it if she wanted to. Now the problem is time and scheduling as the kids are growing and going off to college. The real problem has never been money for her, the real reason was the power her excuses gave to not doing something.
We give our excuses too much power.
Take that power back.
What excuse are you making? Is it easier to be a victim of life and say "I can't because..."
Wake up and Smell the Coffee in another country.
This is your life. You can do anything.
What do you want to do today?
Write a book? Take a trip? Learn to fly?
Go back to school?
Remember to enjoy the journey. It may be the only one you have.
XO Karlene
News Flash:
First Draft of Flight For Safety is complete at 109,135 words, 75 chapters, 396 pages. But all those details will change as the edits begin.
Thanks Karlene, I recognise a lot of these photo's...and they are awesome!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing!
You are so welcome! We'll make many more.
DeleteFirst of all, Whoo Hoo! Congrats on finishing your first draft! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love the message of this post, Karlene, and those gorgeous pictures of An and Amsterdam. I'm with you 100%. Time goes by whether you fill it with activating your dreams and desires or not, so activate! I'm about to go smell the coffee in another country for a whole month. V. Excited!
Thank you Linda. First draft completion is always a great thrill.
DeleteYou are going to have so much fun smelling that coffee. You live each day as you wish, and there is so much power to that.
One day you and I will go visit An together.
What a timely message. This past weekend I went to an airshow and was reminded of something I have been considering for several years. The reason I haven't done it is for the same tired reasons: it takes too much commitment, it will require time off from a good paying some for a lesser paying job, ... The thing is there is an age limit restriction. I'm past the age but there is a window and I have about a year left on the window. I work with CAP cadets and tell them not to make the same mistake I have of walking away from something I enjoyed for too long and think they had enough and can move on to something else. Know in your heart what you love and pursue it. We all need breaks but we can find the energy and resources to build the life our heart wants us to live.
ReplyDeleteDan, Thank you so much for the great reply. As you know, we give up to the reasons, and then one day the time is gone.
DeleteAll your reasons were valid too... but you could make it work. One year you say? What will you do?
We can build that life. And with the commitment and energy, our dreams will become real. Never give up, and keep sharing this message to those cadets.
Great article. The sacrifices people make for some things in life are incredible.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the comment Malki. Yes, it's so true. It does mean sacrifice.
DeleteHow did you know just what I needed to hear? I can't tell you how much this helps me, inspires me. I love that you and the hubby went to Europe together, that's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHeather, I know that you have made so many sacrifices to achieve your dreams. It's not easy, and yet... you don't say I can't, but I will. You're an inspiration to all of us and you just keep doing what you're doing. It will all be worth it!
DeleteKarlene, excellent article and excellent picture of An with the horses. We definitely have to make choices in our lives and especially what to do with our money. And yes, Malki is correct, the sacrifices that people make, especially with their money are incredible.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeremy, Yes, we all make sacrifices for what we want. I think the easy way is to say I can't, and blame it on something else.
DeleteThe interesting thing about this sister is that she once said that she never went to movies because she couldn't afford it. Yet she was driving a brand new Tahoe at the time.
Maybe it comes down to whether we really want something or not. I suspect more times than not when we say we can't afford it, we should say... "We can't afford not to."