There’s a quote I read somewhere that I’ve been pondering lately…

“Never give up on a dream because of the amount of time it will take to accomplish it – the time will pass anyway.”

I remember the first time I read that and it was like a lightbulb had gone off. It basically blew my mind to think of all the opportunities I decided not to pursue because of the time it would have taken, and then to think of where I would be now if I had gone ahead and done it?! Crazy.

But obviously it doesn’t do any good for anyone to think about the past and how they might like to have changed things. But we can try to keep this idea in mind for the present.

And along with that life changing tidbit of advice, is the notion that you have to actually take the time to work on your dreams. You can’t just sit around day after day and wait for the things you want to magically happen – you have to actively participate in the dream and put some time into it in order to see it achieved.

Which reminds me of another wonderful quote:

“… sometimes you had to be brave enough to point your life in a new direction.”

(That gem was Liane Moriarty in her wonderful book, What Alice Forgot.)

Between turning thirty last year, and making several job changes, to where I am right now… I feel like I have definitely pointed my life in a new direction. I’m getting clear on what my priorities are, I’m taking the steps to achieve my goals and ultimately my dreams. And I’m actually happy with where my life is at the moment. For the first time in a really long time, I feel content with what I’m doing, where I am, and who I’m spending my time with.

I used to worry about not being where I thought I should be by now, not having things figured out. I thought my job should be different – that a person my age should have a “real” job instead of tending bar or waiting tables. But I’m figuring out that no one really cares about what I’m doing for a living (they’re more worried about what they’re doing) and that it’s entirely likely that no one else really has anything figured out either!

And by not stressing about what people think of me, and not wasting forty hours a week at a job that I hate, I’ve really freed up a lot more time to spend doing the things I love or being with the people who make me happy. And no matter what career a person has, shouldn’t that really be the point?

I don’t know, maybe months from now I’ll decide this isn’t working either… but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

For now I am perfectly happy with my choices.

And I’m very excited about the fact that I have had more time to read and write! Since making those changes I’ve written a new short story and finished two books. I’m about to work on another short story for an upcoming competition – I participate every year and I’ve never moved past the first round. But this year… this year is going to be different, I just know it.