2019 is here – don’t just live, thrive!

The great Maya Angelou once said “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”.

There are things that make life worth living, some quantify it as money, but live to later discover that living goes beyond making ends meet. Life finds its meaning in the relationships and contributions we make to others. It is not always about what benefits me but rather what significant contributions could I make to society?

We all have busy lives. Some of the “busy-ness” could be attributed to wanting to do things so we don’t have to attend to the real issues we face in life. We get caught up trying to make ends meet, get a big break, fulfill our goals, dreams and aspirations.

It is very easy to be trapped on auto mode where everything you do is repetitive day to day, without much thought given to the impact it is causing on your mental health or your physical health and even on your relationships.

At some point though, you have to stop moving robotically, and start facing the realities of life where you stop and truly enjoy all that life has to offer. This may mean actually having a meal without being on your phone or distracted by social media, but consciously being in the know and taking note of the smell, the texture, and the colors on your plate etc. Being on auto seems normal until you realize that you have missed great moments in your loved one’s life, because you were too busy making a living.

Listen, I totally get it. Sometimes we wake up and we don’t feel like we have options. We have to go to work, we have to take the kids to school, we have to complete demands on our lives we can’t neglect. But ask yourself, when it is all said and done what truly matters the most? I am not telling you to stop being ambitious, but really take time and ask yourself what is the tradeoff.

Are you so busy living in the future and for the future that you neglect today? Our children do not stop growing because we are busy. Our spouses do not stop suffering alone because we are on a personal journey to make it. Our health does not improve without effort because we have things to do.
Some of life’s greatest blessings require sacrifice and dedication.

On the pursuit of “happiness” we neglect our loved ones, we neglect our health, and we neglect our hobbies and neglect our true callings in the process. Career, finances, jobs, titles etc. do change but what does not change is our purpose and the relationships that we must preserve.

No one on their death bed ever wished to spend more hours at the office, or wish to have made more money, or wanted to be famous at that moment in time. To everything, there needs to be a balance. The key is learning to balance our career, family, love life, goals and allowing all that to play into our ultimate purpose.