I love this picture for so many reasons. This is my cousin Tevis and me. Practically raised as sisters, in the desert outside Blue Diamond, Nevada. Not afraid, just exploring. I’m guessing we are maybe 4 or 5. The Red Rock mountains in the distance, my cousin, this place, they help me feel grounded and bring me peace. It seems that my social media feed is full of enthusiastic leaders spouting daily the importance of making a plan, sticking to the plan, pivoting when necessary. Some days I wonder whether all of this continuous spouting of the same information is really necessary and then I start to read statistics (which are only as good as their source…a topic for another day) and I learn that 1% of the population plans their weeks out. 1% of the population has family goals, career goals, health goals, and actually creates an actionable plan and follows through on it.
As I get older it seems that in this middle phase of life, the excitement is fewer and farther between. The college graduations, graduate school plans, job offers, weddings, births of children, home purchases and remodels, are replaced with far more serious events and circumstances. Planning for your children’s education. Building a business and career that aligns with your values. Caring of aging parents. Health issues for others. Gone are sleepless nights with babies and now a new phase is before us and we have to decide what are we going to do with this time. Where are we going? Do we let life happen to us or do we become the architect of the most beautiful life we could possibly imagine.
There is a lot we cannot control in life, but there is so much we can make glorious.
I was having a conversation yesterday about this topic. I was reflecting on someone I know. They’ve had cancer. They’ve had other health issues. They’ve had some major injuries. Business has gone up and business has gone down. They’ve traveled the world many times over. They’ve spent time on the sea and time on a ranch. They’ve most certainly done life on their own terms and had they not spent time on the sea or in the valleys and the rivers, the other stuff…the scary stuff…..it would have happened any way so what holds us back from the fun, the adventure, the joy? Is it a lack of planning? Is it a belief we somehow don’t deserve it? Is it not knowing where to start? About three years ago I picked up a book that changed the course of my life called “Design the Life You Love.” It’s an interactive book where you draw, sketch, write down goals. The author is a designer. This is what I can tell you. Every goal I wrote in that book became a reality. There is power in planning (and actually executing). Manifesting is real.
My birthday is next week. I do birthday goals for myself and I’m brainstorming what they are. At the top is to be adventurous and joyful. Try new things. Never stop learning. Be the best version of myself that I can be, for myself, my family, my clients, the community, and the world. I’ve always felt an immense sense of obligation to leave the world a better place than how I found it and this feeling grows even more profound with each birthday. So the answer to the question for me, where am I going? I am going to continue to learn new things, grow my businesses, grow my knowledge of the gospel, make incredible memories with my family, and improve my newly acquired wake surfing skills. I hope wherever you are, whatever phase you are in, you can clearly define where you want to go.