“My mission in life is not merely to
survive, but to thrive; to do so with passion, compassion, humor, and style”~
Maya Angelou
Challenges
are part of life for everyone. I am no stranger to them and today I could look
at my life and know that I am a survivor; that I've beat some odds and accomplished
more than even I thought would be possible. In the grand scheme of things I wasn't always getting by in healthy or even normal ways; suffice to say I tend
to learn the hard way. Perhaps everyone learns that way, but my experience is
different, I know and appreciate people who simply seem to have everything
working in their lives. Folks who seemingly have the world fall into their laps,
awesome for them! From a young age I always felt a little different, as if I
had something to prove to the world and often I did; finding success in the
areas of life where passion, fierceness, persistence, and a bit of rebellion would
prove to be valuable. That being said, I have also been a person of extremes,
both rewarding and destructive. Recently, my oldest friend looked me dead in
the eyes and told me how much he “admired” me because I pushed him when we were
younger; to be better, to never give up, and have confidence in himself. Soon
after, he gave me a firm reminder of battles I’ve won and people I’ve helped
along the course of my life. He told me in a forceful way that frankly, only
very few people could or would “get away with” speaking to me. I needed the
reminder and I won’t soon forget the conversation. Ironically, I never saw
these qualities in myself, there was always a deep feeling that I had to fight
for everything and I didn't necessarily deserve “the good life”. Cool part is,
I already live the good life and it will only get better! I have been forced to
look at and reevaluate these feelings about myself and I've made a decision to
cease fighting everything, mostly myself. By no means have I given up, in fact
it’s quite the opposite; I’m prepared to thrive and not simply survive. I’m prepared
to love fully and engage in living the life I imagine. Survival mode has put me
in a position to do great things, not only for myself, but for others in the
world; my intentions are to flourish in my personal journey and make at least
part of the world a little better each and every day. I will allow myself to
love and be loved.
Certain connections are needed in life in order to truly feel free, to skip down the street or be brave enough to step out of your comfort zone; most importantly to lay down your defenses and create the life you imagine. Independence is a great trait to have, when you can be yourself and do the things you want to do surprising some folks along the way. What I’ve learned (once again the hard way), is that individualism becomes magical when it is respected, embraced, admired, and shared. People who are connected by love, of themselves and another radiate an authentic vibe that is unexplainable and enchanting. Everyone needs somebody to lift them at times, to encourage dreams, and share a vision. It turns surviving into thriving and the force of it can’t be measured in words. The key is to know what you deserve and what you want; everyone deserves it and once you want it, seize the magic and let your beautiful life unfold. Love is like oxygen; you can survive for a while without it and thrive so long as you breathe it in and allow it to fill you up.
