Lessons from a 10 year old

Kids are smarter and wiser than we generally give them credit for. This was highlighted to me the other day when I came across a list my 10 yo daughter wrote whilst home sick. She's always been a prolific list writer, and some of what she writes blows me away, but nothing like this list I found. It reads:

These are the things I expect from myself!

• I will never ever give up.
• I will always try my hardest.
• I will always love who I am.
• I will live my life to the best.
• I will never be someone I'm not.
• I will always be happy with what I've got.

Wise words indeed from a very old soul.

Wouldn't we be a more content society if we followed her mantra? Simplistic? Maybe. But isn't that what life is supposed to be? Instead we try and overcomplicate everything and lose site of what's important. We need to live life to the fullest, be the best we can be, be happy with who we are and love ourselves for ourselves. It doesn't mean we can't strive to achieve and live out our dreams, just don't lose site of who we really are along the way.

For Miss 10 I'm getting the list framed for her. She's put a lot of effort into it - she's written it in wonderful colour and decorated it - so the least I can do is frame it for her to put on her wall as a reminder in years to come.

A reminder for all of us.

Follow your dreams

As you may or may not know, this year is all about change, and more importantly, about me.  The beginning of the year I was in a job I loved working part time, looking to fit in more hours and more days as that's the path I thought I should follow.  

But it wasn't to be.

Within 3 weeks I had resigned and was looking for something.  What at the time I wasn't sure.  But 8 months on and I've definitely found it.  Something that has got hold of me and is taking me on a journey I can't wait to travel.  I've finally found my dream, and I'm living it.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate what I did before, in fact I thought I'd found what I wanted to do and pursue for a long time.  The problem I came to realise was even though I loved what I did, I was following someone else's dream, and not my own.  

It's so easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm of someone else's dream.  You believe the path they have laid out is the path you want to follow, and commit fully to helping fulfill that dream.  And for some people that is enough.  But I came to realise that I had dreams of my own, and the capacity to put them into motion.  So I did. 

So what is it you ask?

I'm back at 'uni' studying to be a Naturopath.  Something definitely left of centre for me, but something I am totally committed to, and believe in, and want to learn.  I'm taking the journey with a girlfriend and between us we've laid out our path of where we want to go and how we want to do it.  We've planned the type of practice we'll set up when we've finished, down to the environment we want to create, and how we'll go about it...and we're only into semester 1 of many.  You may think as I'm doing this with someone else that I'm just following her dream, but I'm not.  We are in a way opposites - I'm the Yang to her Ying.  We balance each other and believe at the end of our course, will create a wonderful partnership.  

So for now I'm at the beginning of a long journey (it will take about 8 years to finish the study).  But it's a journey I want to be in as it's allowing me to follow my dream of one day being able to help people help themselves and create a healthier society for us all.