We all have pretty busy lives.  We work, we care for kids or maybe elderly parents (or both), we have a home to look after, a vehicle to maintain and extracurricular activities to enhance our lives and the lives of our children.  Sometimes we find ourselves mired down with too much to do, and not enough down time to do the things that cheer us up, relax us or feed our passions.  There comes a time when one should take a hard look at life and see what is really important to them.  Then find a way to make things happen that line up with what’s really important to you.

You might need more time with family, like your spouse or your kids because your work schedule is such that you haven’t really had meaningful connections with them for far too long.  Maybe you have had a health scare and really need to make some life changes so that you can be here for a long while yet.  That’s a big one, and how many of us slough it off and think, “I’ll be fine until I can get around to that.”? I was guilty of that one myself for a few years.  I knew I needed to lose weight in order to bring down my blood pressure, ease my breathing and be able to move around without pain.  I often thought about that sort of stuff while eating Cheetos or chocolate, promising myself I’d get to it soon.  Ha!  The capacity for denial in humans is great!  (Thankfully, a milestone birthday helped get my arse in gear!)  Or maybe, you don’t take the time to feed your soul with the things it craves, like music and other forms of art, because you decided at one time that those things were a waste of time and foolishness.  And then you wonder,  when did it happen that you became a boring and bland individual with no spark?

Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about here.  So, do yourself a favour, and give yourself permission to be the person that you want to be and go do those things that you know you really want to do.  Eat better.  Get more sleep.  Downsize.  Get up and dance even if you think you look silly.  Tell the ones you love how much they mean to you.  Pick up that guitar, or that paintbrush or write those poems and songs that rattle around your head and your heart.  Leave the toxic relationship.  Quit the job you hate and go do something that makes you smile to get up in the morning.  Have a look at your bucket list and make some concrete plans!

Make those changes so that you have a life that is worth living.  So you feel alive!  What’s the point of being here if you aren’t enjoying the ride?

Change is hard, I get that.  But living an inauthentic life is harder yet!