#Article (Archive)

Living your best life, don't settle for less

Apr 15, 2011, 1:35 PM

Yesterday was another of those very trying days. Everything was ultra chaotic and nothing turned out quite the way I expected it to and I was just flailing in frustration, wondering just what to do to make everything right. With so much to do and so little daylight time to do it, I was at my wits end. Sometimes, I think of just giving up and settling for less. Then I gave myself a much needed reality check.

I turned on the international news. Just as I knew it would be, quite depressing but oddly real. The multiple dire extenuating circumstances being experienced all over the world sent me shooting off the couch and back on the go. After giving myself and mental lecture, I Took a deep calming breath, took stock and considered myself very lucky. Quite lucky indeed.

As we journey on the paths of this life, it is inevitable that we will find multiple and various obstacles in our way. Some of them might seem so massive that we do not feel that there is any way we can overcome and excel. These are the moments that either make or break an individual. It is at these moments that true character is formed and the persona inside get an opportunity to feature. Perseverance in turmoil or difficulty. The only choice is to endure, persevere and be victorious as we were meant to be when we were all blest with our various gifts and talents.

Everyone has a purpose but in most cases, the trouble lies in finding and nurturing it. Some of them we are lucky to find when we are young with our parent's or guardian's coaching and assistance and others we come into later on in life. These talents can range from writing, public speaking, accounting & legal skills, sports, engineering, architecture, dancing, singing or coaching. All of these are all very important else we wouldn't have been blest with them.

Can you honestly imagine what the world would be like if we all did the same things and were the same (speech, looks, actions)? If diversity didn't exist, what would happen? Talents are relevant and important and one should never settle for less either because they are told they can't do any better or due to circumstances that seem almost impossible. The key is in proving skeptics wrong and finding and grabbing possibilities from impossibilities, making a way where there seems to be none and keeping the faith candle burning at all times.

My seven year old nephew wants to be an engineer with his specialty being the design and development of airplanes. Now, some might think this is a farfetched dream with the possibilities of it becoming a reality being slim. Chances are he might go through a hundred career choice changes before he turns eighteen. But that is beside the point. He feels that he can accomplish that and no one has the right to dissuade him. If one can dream it, then they can be it and there is no future in settling for less.          

When I was a little girl, growing up with ideals and ideas and full of optimism, I dreamt big. It was either that or endure a bland sleep. The world at that point in time was my playing ground and it was my place to conquer it. All I had to do was work hard enough and show enough persistence. I did that and I stuck to it. Though I may have tough days, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Life is so fleeting, yet soo precious. It is meant to be lived and not for one to merely exist. It is something we must all account for someday and wouldn't it be awesome if everyone had a bright tale to tell. With all these gifts come responsibilities. The writer's is to reach as many people as is possible and be able to a certain extent positively influence them whilst the medical doctor's to cure as many ill individuals as he or she can.

At the end of the day, it comes down to living your best life possible. It's about assessing every single area of one's self and as best as possible objectively, deciding what are ones assets and drawbacks, coming up with ways to eliminate those negative aspects. From physical to mental and spiritual, nothing should be left to chance. One should never lose sight of the bigger picture. Trust me when I say this, you do not want to reach a ripe old age and realize you never took a chance to fight for and realize your ambitions. Live each day as if it were the last because it just might be.

Your gifts are relevant and should not be allowed to dwindle into a little pile of insignificance. So don't sink into the pit of mediocrity and aim for excellence. Its time for you to stop merely existing and start living your best life.