Your Life. Your Choice.

It was a few years ago that I woke up and realized I wasn’t going to be president.

For that matter, I wasn’t going to be a sanitation worker, or run a landscaping service (or anything else requiring sweat, for that matter), for a living, though as a lad, I wanted to do two out of the three.

My early dreams of being a landscaper changed.

That’s okay.

I also realized that there is no law saying you’re a failure if you wake up one day and are not (or are) the person you thought you would be.

Do you realize — even amidst a horrific pandemic — how many chances you have every day to be the person you thought you would be as a kid?

Furthermore, do you realize that you also have the option of being somebody completely different than you thought you’d be? That you don’t have to be the person your parents expected (or demanded) you be? You can select the career path other than the adult that education, religion, or peer pressure sought to mold you into.

I’m especially talking to you if you’re restless, bored, or waiting for something to happen. I’m talking to you if you’re subsuming your talent because taking risks in this pandemic economy is “crazy.”

I’m no self-help guru, but I do think we all have a choice — even within the confines of the jobs we have today — to live life on our own terms. It doesn’t mean you will get everything you ever wanted or be famous (necessarily) or rich (though you might). Living life on your own terms — even if only in your own backyard — makes life worth living.

“In 10 years, most of the cells that make up your body today will have died and been replaced by new ones,” said Hal Shorey, Ph.D., in Psychology Today. “So, your body will be totally new. Why can’t the you that you think you are change that way, too?”

“So, why do we string our days together, feeling like we are the same person from one day to the next? The answer is that you don’t have to,” he added. “There is absolutely no reason why you have to feel the same way tomorrow.”

I think we must all choose to find ways to put our own stamp on our jobs, our relationships — and yes, even our yards — to make our lives more fulfilling.

Create.

Innovate.

Think.

Don’t coast. See past the pandemic. Turn off the TV. Your life should be way more interesting than some contrived “reality” show, right? Also, stop with the doom scrolling!

Or you can also just go to work, eat, watch TV, and sleep. It all goes so fast — is lethargy and boredom going to be your legacy?

It’s your life. It’s your choice. Make the most of it.