Words of Wisdom

Don't get too excited:

I'm not putting myself on some high horse and issuing out words of wisdom or free advice by any means... In fact, I'm doing quite the opposite: I'm taking it. I've mentioned before that I am someone who firmly believes in interconnection and that no one that crosses your path crosses it by accident. I have been extraordinarily lucky to have crossed paths with some of these people, but luckier to have noticed it... It saddens me to think about the opportunities that I've witnessed people miss because of egotistical nonsense, pure arrogance, stubbornness, animosity, and otherwise... but what saddens me even more is, I've done so myself.

 I am issuing myself a voluntary attitude adjustment that I feel has become somewhat rather mandatory... I don't want to miss what's right in front of me... not anymore. I try to be an open-minded person, but I can be incredibly closed minded about things once my mind is made up. I hold more grudges than I realize and I'd like to make a conscious effort not to do that anymore. I'd like to find some good in every situation before acknowledging the bad... I've found that if I first acknowledge the bad, I never get around to finding the good because its simply too easy to be negative. I don't want to be like that.

I have been spending a significant amount of time with people I was fortunate enough to not let slip by unnoticed, talking endlessly about things that actually matter. For the record, those really are the most invaluable conversations... I really try hard to pay close attention to those... because thats where said "Words of Wisdom" come into play.

I have spent the better half of my life trying to figure it out. I want all the answers. I want them now. I want a step-by-step plan as to how things are going to happen, when they're going to take place, where my next step is going to be, etc. But I think that some of the best advice I've ever been given came from a recent conversation among a few good friends of mine... In talking about past, present, and future events the notion came up that "there is no prescribed path." That statement blindsided me in a way I didn't really expect. It became so apparent to me in that moment just how much I tried to micromanage every aspect of my life. Sure, some things I have no control over, but when I do, buddy, back off.

I have changed a lot of things in my life intentionally, and several things have changed unintentionally because of it, but more often then not, things change that I have absolutely no control over... and instantly I go into damage control mode, trying to control the uncontrollable. That's a lot of control... or rather, lack thereof. What I got most from that conversation was that I didn't need to have a plan, a map, a blow-by-blow of the rest of my life. Its okay to not have control of everything and to relinquish a little bit of your fate to the powers that be... I really do believe things happen for a reason, and now I know why. I was also told "If you can figure out the 'why', then the 'how', the 'where', the 'when', etc. will all fall into place." And I believe it will. It has thus far... which up until now, I was too nearsighted to see.

There really is no prescribed path... But I do know I'm headed down the right one... and that's all I need. I've figured out the 'why'. So, until the rest of the things fall into place I'm going to make a conscious effort to be less critical, more open; less judgmental, more accepting; less focused on the things that are insignificant, with my eyes wide open to the bigger picture... and all the while making sure that I'm not letting the people who have been put in place to change my life slip by without knowing it.