Fly little bird

I'm the first one to say that if you want to achieve grand things, you must be prepared to make grand moves. Self made billionaires didn't achieve their fortunes by adhering to caution, Ghandi didn't change the world by taking the easy road, and Martin Luther King Jr didn't lay the groundwork for the free world to be led by Barack Obama without giving his life to see his dream realized.

Now I know we aren't all going to live lives that shake the earth's core, but we can do our best to make the bold moves that will lead to true joy and fulfillment. We can be lazy, and sometimes it's easy to settle into our careers or relationships by default. I don't think it's uncommon to notice that a decade has passed, and we are not anywhere near where we thought we would be.

I think those realizations lessen as we age. At some point, we know the life we are living is the life we are going to lead for the rest of our lives. We submit to that fact, and we make the best of it...but some people know they want more, and they move grandly through life to achieve just that.

It can be a scary thing, following the road less traveled. There's a reason why the other road gets a lot of foot traffic, and there's not always anything wrong with that. The best gift we can give ourselves is an introspective look at our lives, and an honest internal conversation regarding who we are, what we truly want out of this life, and what legacy do we want to leave.

I probably think about these things more than most, or if that's not the case, no one seems to talk about these things, and I'm not sure why that is. I know I want to make an impact on the world. I want to live a generous life, and I want to do good. I don't know exactly what that is going to look like, but I try to keep myself in check to make sure I'm not straying too far from that path.

There are many things we may want/need to feel as though we are spending our lives wisely, whether that may be family, faith, success...any number of things - I think we will be our happiest if we focus on our true goals, and take grand strides to achieve them.

In that vein, I think of my dear friend Brooke. Brooke has known for a while that she wants more, and she is willing to make a grand move to achieve it. Brooke is ready to take on a challenging new career, meet new people, and live in a totally new area, and she is moving to Texas to realize these dreams. I'm so happy for her, and so proud of her! I know what a big chance she is taking, and I think it's awesome that she is pursuing her dreams with wild (but very calculated and thoroughly planned, of course!) abandon.

I find it energizing to see people living their lives, taking chances, and really trying to achieve their dreams! I think that's one of the blessings we've found during these challenging economic times - people's lives are interrupted, and they are given the gift of introspection...taking pause to evaluate the things that really matter, and really consider what they want to do next.

Brooke, I'm thrilled for you! We will miss you dearly, and we can't wait to hear all about your adventure in this next chapter of your life!

XOXOXO