The Beatles sang of the long and winding road. It is, like most Beatles songs, a great song. We all have different roads to take and decisions to make. The best part of our life journey is that it is our path to take. The difficult part of the journey is that at varying times other people will attempt to hijack your journey. This can happen when well-meaning people (parents, relatives, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.) try to direct your journey. We get sidetracked by well-meaning individuals who believe that they know what is best for you, and they try to nudge us in a direction that is not our own. It is wearisome enough to sort through our own thoughts and beliefs with the outside noise constantly invading our thoughts. A barrage of opinions and beliefs often leave us wondering whether we even like what we are doing, or if we are on the right track. But the only person that we really should be listening to is our own authentic self. The self that has beliefs, opinions, and dreams that are ours.
It is time for you and I to follow our dreams even if they seem like a pipe dream. The long and winding road will come to an end, and hopefully it will be the flourishing of our own, authentic dreams. We need to live this life for ourselves even with the many twists and turns along the way. Ask yourself, what is your long and winding road? What are your goals along the way? Are you giving yourself enough credit for what you do or are you taking yourself for granted?
Think about what you do for others (family, friends, work). Reflect on the friendships you have and the people that are most important to you. Take a moment and reflect on where you are right now. Think about the achievements you have reached and the people you have served. We need to acknowledge ourselves on a daily basis because we get lost in the details that derail us from living the life that we want. You are a special person to others even if you don’t recognize it most of the time!
CLOFOS 