A topic that often comes up in conversations is the question of what the future holds. Many of us are constantly wondering if we make the right choices to end up where we think we belong. There is nothing wrong with having a goal or a dream. What is wrong is losing sight of all the things around you just because you're so focused on achieving that thing in your head. I like to see life as a journey, filled with many adventures and of which the end is unknown. We don't know when our time runs out and we will never know if we have achieved what we were 'meant' to achieve. It makes me wonder why we spend so much time of our life, looking ahead and setting boundaries for ourselves. We do everything just to try and guide our life into the direction we think is right. But what if we took some time to let the odds decide? Would we be led into a completely other direction or would we end up where we wanted to go anyways?
When I was younger I had this whole plan in my mind. I was constantly planning ahead of which steps I had to take to reach the goal. And when I reached the goal, I would set a new goal. This was my life for a long time. Until one night I was thinking to myself; Is it worth it, to push everything aside just to reach that goal? I canceled on meeting friends just because I felt like I had to sleep early and get started the next day on my goals again. I felt like I wasted my days when I was not being productive. I had the feeling I was not allowed to take a break because I had not achieved my goals yet. But can you even reach your goal, when you keep making new ones. Besides that, I couldn't help but feel like I missed out on a lot of things. While I was focused on reaching the goals over and over, I lost a lot of people around me.
I decided it was time for a change. Would it really make a difference if you achieved goal after goal or take your time to also enjoy the journey around it? I can tell you by my experience, that there is a big difference. That difference is in the enjoyment you have. When you take the time to keep the people around you close and live in the moment, you have more people to celebrate your victories with. I started to love all the small side paths and kept finding myself wandering off the main path more often. Today, I prefer to take the small paths. Why? Because they are the ones that hold the most unexpected and great adventures! I have learned that telling a good story filled with memories is worth so much more as any status you have gained over the years. Because when our time is done, nobody will talk about that job you got. Everyone will talk about the crazy memories and adventures.
This is why I always tell my children: ' Don't worry too much about the future. Live your life right now and make the memories. Learn by experience.'
Another thing I often hear is people saying they have made a mistake and because of that ruined the future. I always tell these people, that ruining your future is not possible. Yes, Sometimes we might take a wrong turn and get lost for a while. But there is always a possibility to walk backwards or find a new path. I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Some things happen to teach us, some happen to make memories and others show us to be thankful. A lesson is not a setback. It is an experience to make you stronger for your next adventures.
