And here you are, despite the setbacks, stepping into a chapter of life more beautiful than you could ever imagine.
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As you step into this fresh chapter, remember to hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and embrace a really big dream. Someone recently told me that big dreams are the only ones worth having.
He’s really smart so I believe him.
Being a self proclaimed country mouse, it is unheard of for me to stand in the heart of a city and not look up. At home, I look up to see the tall trees and the stars that reach to the heavens. In cities, I search the skyline for patterns and for things that stick out. I search for cats in windows and for wrought iron railings. I search for gargoyles and for unusual brick designs.
I search for the things others pass by without any notice at all. It seems people pass by an awful lot these days. I did some shopping after work last night and was surprised by the number of people standing around looking at their phones while they evidently waited for someone else.
Meanwhile, I tucked my phone in my bag and happily ignored it for most of the evening. It was lovely wandering around just looking at stuff and people watching.
It is my fondest hope that I will hold onto my curiosity about places and people and about how things are made. Life is richer when you look up to the top floor of a tall building and wonder what goes inside and why someone built it in the first place. It’s better when you wonder about the people who live and work there.
Life is better when you stop to consider how light and shadows play together to change the look of a place as the day progresses. It’s better when you pause to absorb the beauty of a blue sky day when you expected rain and have nowhere to be except where you are right now.
Incidentally, the beautiful building pictured here is the 1933 Cincinnati Times-Star building, a reported art deco masterpiece that looks like a must see for another trip to the city.
There’s always something new to see and appreciate!
Lists are a great way to keep track of the things that are important to you. They help you know what to pick up at the store, which chores to do when, and what to pack for that trip.
Lists are also powerful tools for getting your life on the right track. If you’re struggling to declutter life, here’s one way lists can help you. It’s a three step process.
1. Make a list of the things that matter to you.
2. Make a list of the ways you spend your time.
3. Compare the two lists and adjust accordingly.
Keep repeating this process until the two match.
This sounds simple but can be a surprisingly difficult thing to navigate. I began working on this years ago when my volunteer activities began to feel like a full time job that cut into my mental peace.
You can use this strategy for helping to know what to keep when decluttering, how to spend your money, how to use your time, and what’s next in life.
Give it a whirl and see what you think. You may be surprised at how the values you live by stack up to the values you say you have.
It’s worth a shot, wouldn’t you agree?
One of these things is not like the others. And that’s ok. Dare to be different, not for the sake of being different, but for the sake of being you.
Embrace your true self. Be authentic and appreciate your quirks. There will never be another you and there’s no need to pretend you’re something you are not.
So join in the gang or the gaggle as the case might be. Just don’t pretend to be something you’re not to fit in when clearly standing out as your fabulous self is way better.
Embrace and be proud of who you are. You’ve worked hard to get here.