What are we doing?

Has anyone else noticed how everyone is always in a rush? To get to work, to settle down, to get ready even. It’s always how we can get from A to B the quickest. Not what route is the calmest, or least crowded, or simplest. We want what we want, and we want it now. There’s the saying ‘happiness is a journey, not a destination’. And for the most part I agree. There is no one point in your life that you can get to and guarantee that you will be happy. Just as through your journey of life you might not always be happy. So why are we in such a rush? What are we doing?

What we want out of life is an age old question we get asked by many different people. More often than not, we don’t think about it. We go on ‘living’ thinking we’re doing everything we’re supposed to, in the right order, in the right time frame. Until one day, someone asks us the question, and we start wondering. Doesn’t last long though, right? Because before we have a chance to come up with an actual answer, it’s the next day already, the cycle restarts and we are rushing to get to the next phase. 

I feel like the question shouldn’t just be what we want out of life, but also what do we want from ourselves. What kind of people do we want to be, what do we want to do with out lives, where do we want to go, what do we want to get. The million-dollar questions only we can answer. Life isn’t just going to give it to us, we have to do the work to get it. It’s going to be different for each of us. Career, family, travel, money, etc. The first step is determining what it is that you actually want. Not what you think you should want based on your age or what others want. Comparison is a killer and it won’t get you anywhere. It may even move you further away because it drags away focus. You have to see your life for what it is, yours. Not anyone else’s. Really think about it. Clear your mind completely, and then fill it with everything you love and care about and dream of. What do you see? Hold onto it, write it down, draw it out, tell someone, or don’t tell anyone. Do what you want with it, but make sure you think about it first. 

So how do we get what we want? Do we vision board or speak to the universe to try and manifest it? Do we do nothing and hope it just happens? Or do we work on ourselves for ourselves and see how it goes? Now truthfully, I do all of the above, usually not at the same time, and most definitely not in equal proportions. I alternate between the various processes depending on how I’m feeling. And that’s ok. There are days that I just really want to do nothing because I don’t have the energy, and there are days that I scream to the universe. But the third option, working on ourselves for ourselves, I think that’s going to be the one that will get you further along than anything else. There is no right way. It’s not one yellow brick road leading you to everything you want. It’ll be a bumpy road, with detours, and wrong turns, and sometimes a hell of a lot of traffic. So why rush it? Does it really matter how long it takes you? Those bumps, detours and queues of traffic where you get to sing along to the music without anyone noticing, are part of the adventure. So take your time, smell the roses, enjoy the moments. Every one of them counts and you don’t get them back once they’re gone. The last thing we want to do is miss out on them because we are too focused on the destination. 

I know there must be some people out there who do know what they are doing and know exactly what they want, and that’s amazing, love that for them! But everyone at some point in life hasn’t known. So this is to tell anyone out there who feels behind or lost, you’re not alone. At some point we have all been in the same boat. 

Anyways, back to the question, what are we doing? I don’t know! It’s ok to not know. It’s ok to not have all the answers. All we can keep doing is our best. Life can get you down, so just take each day as it comes and keep going. We all have our own remedies to make ourselves feel better and to help us get back on track. I have quite a few different ones, but something that has always worked for me is this – each day, do one good thing for myself and one for someone else.  It helps me stay grounded and grateful. But it also reminds me that I’m not alone. None of us are.  We’ve all been there or are currently going through it. So lean on each other, ask for help, and brave it together. Do the work and see how it goes.