“Don’t lament so much about how your career is going to turn out. You don’t have a career. You have a life. Do the work. Keep the faith. Be true blue. You are a writer because you write. Keep writing…your book has a birthday. You don’t know what it is yet.” Cheryl Strayed in “Tiny Beautiful Things”
Many of us have said that before we achieve greatness, something must happen to us first. We are fully convinced that 'something' needs to shift and shape us but the truth is: Life is happening. Your life doesn't start when you graduate high school; or start college; or get married; your life has been happening since the day you were born. You have been shaping your character, subconsciously and consciously making decisions that have made you who you are today.
Many of us have a vision of exactly who we want to be like. I'm not talking about career wise, but many of us know how we would like to be perceived as an individual. We have this image in our minds that we hope is translating well to the rest of the world. We may like where we are in life, or we may have hopes in changing and improving and there is no better time than the new year to get started on building 'a new you.' We may find it in ourselves to change, or we may be waiting for something to happen first. Saying things like, if 'I was in a relationship, I'd be less lonely' or 'If I was living this kind of lifestyle with that kind of opportunity, I'd be happier' is acknowledging what you want to change, but you may not be making an actual effort in trying to make that happen. You're waiting for someone to find you while you're not making an effort to put yourself out there, or you're waiting for someone to tell you about a job opportunity rather than looking for one and putting your own foot in the door. Life is happening whether you choose to pay attention or not.
It's never too late for anything--to go back to God, to start reading books, to start eating healthier, to being kinder to people. You can start now. Today is happening--let it make you. Let your story be written, but don't let someone else hold the pen--or in this digital age, the keyboard. You write your own story and that's by mustering up the confidence and courage to tell that story. As long as it happens, the important thing is that we keep our eyes open for it. Do your work, keep your faith and keep doing what makes you happy, whether it's writing, design, mathematics, science etc. If life gets difficult remember that the hard times are just a part of the journey; they are not your destination. There is always reason to have faith. Don't wait for something to happen to you first to make a change. Realize you need change and go after it.
Photograph by Chris Ozer
Many of us have said that before we achieve greatness, something must happen to us first. We are fully convinced that 'something' needs to shift and shape us but the truth is: Life is happening. Your life doesn't start when you graduate high school; or start college; or get married; your life has been happening since the day you were born. You have been shaping your character, subconsciously and consciously making decisions that have made you who you are today.
Many of us have a vision of exactly who we want to be like. I'm not talking about career wise, but many of us know how we would like to be perceived as an individual. We have this image in our minds that we hope is translating well to the rest of the world. We may like where we are in life, or we may have hopes in changing and improving and there is no better time than the new year to get started on building 'a new you.' We may find it in ourselves to change, or we may be waiting for something to happen first. Saying things like, if 'I was in a relationship, I'd be less lonely' or 'If I was living this kind of lifestyle with that kind of opportunity, I'd be happier' is acknowledging what you want to change, but you may not be making an actual effort in trying to make that happen. You're waiting for someone to find you while you're not making an effort to put yourself out there, or you're waiting for someone to tell you about a job opportunity rather than looking for one and putting your own foot in the door. Life is happening whether you choose to pay attention or not.
It's never too late for anything--to go back to God, to start reading books, to start eating healthier, to being kinder to people. You can start now. Today is happening--let it make you. Let your story be written, but don't let someone else hold the pen--or in this digital age, the keyboard. You write your own story and that's by mustering up the confidence and courage to tell that story. As long as it happens, the important thing is that we keep our eyes open for it. Do your work, keep your faith and keep doing what makes you happy, whether it's writing, design, mathematics, science etc. If life gets difficult remember that the hard times are just a part of the journey; they are not your destination. There is always reason to have faith. Don't wait for something to happen to you first to make a change. Realize you need change and go after it.
Photograph by Chris Ozer
