Yesterday I was interviewed by someone who is doing research
for her PhD. She asked me
what was my career path. To which I responded I have never set goals for
myself. Instead I have always just lived day by day. Not projecting too far
into the future. Not worrying about what had happened in my past.
I told her perhaps it’s because my mother died suddenly and
so young that I realised at a young age that tomorrow is not promised to
anyone. That the only moment we have is the moment we are living in. That often
people focus too much on the destination that they forget to enjoy the journey
along the way. They don’t see what’s right in front of their faces because they
are looking for the ultimate prize – their goals. I have seen far too many people set the lives around timeframes. Goals. Destinations. And then when they
reach those targeted dates and they have not achieved what they wanted to
achieve, they become disenfranchised. Disappointed. So much so they convince
themselves they are failures.
I have always tried to live my life by being the best I can
be and as a result I have ended up in positions and places I never dreamed
possible. Sometimes laughing at the woman I have become from that frightened
girl who had no one.
And then last night I saw a quote that helped me to
understand that as I near fifty, I need not panic or worry about how much time I
have left. I need not worry that I should be planning for my future. I need not
change the way I view life because, “The Warrior Spirit stands to gain far more
than just realising his deepest goals, He knows power is hidden in personal growth.”
Since the day of my mother’s death, through my dark teenage
years, through university and its trials, through career moves and to the
present moment, I told the interviewer yesterday, I am constantly learning.
Constantly seeing the lessons in every tumble I take. In every success I achieve.
I am constantly reminded that I do not know it all. That I am human. Not a
machine. Therefore I am flawed and have to acknowledge my flaws from time to
time. Forgive myself for them and forgive others for expecting me to be perfect
so I can learn lessons from those flaws and move on.
I understood last night that the Warrior Spirit is deep
within me. Deep within us all. Reminding
me to not focus too much on the destination (goals) but instead free my mind to
attain the power of self. Only then will I gain the wings to fly.
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