I’m proud to have such strong, amazing friends in my life. These are people with a wide variety of life experiences that call home all over the globe ... For most of them, a big move to Oklahoma or to Egypt wasn’t exactly the plan - but they found themselves there by not settling for a complacent life and needing to make a change.
I talked to a friend of mine this past week who has recently done that very same thing and moved to New York. She decided that she needed a change - that life had just become what she didn’t want it to be. Simply put - she took control of her life. She applied - and was offered - a job that would move her career forward, packed up her boxes and off she went to start a new life. I hadn’t kept up on her the way I should have, so I was thankful to get an email from her and the few short minutes on the phone that I had.
She explained to me that in her short time there, her family had experienced a major health issue and just the day before she had to put her dog down. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing - picking up and moving across the country is hard enough, let alone dealing with two massive issues that would debilitate so many of us not having a support system. I asked her how she was holding up and if she was missing home. She said to me, “You know, Michelle, it has been difficult. However, I’m just in so much better of a place that I’m able to handle things like this.”
And there it is, isn’t it? Packing up and moving across the Country alone probably felt impossible some days, but because she made that decision and stuck to what she knew she wanted, she ended up clearing out the negativity and was able to process life in a much healthier way.
I think that story is incredibly representative of what life can - and should - look like. I’ve definitely said before that happiness is a journey - not a destination ... And her story proves that theory. We all experience ups and downs on a daily basis and none of us are free from not having traumatic, difficult life situations. But at the end of the day, the most important piece is creating a life for yourself that is right for you - and sometimes we have to do things that make us uncomfortable and go outside of our comfort zone to have that.
It’s not always loading up a moving truck and moving across the country. Sometimes it will simply be changing jobs, finally making the decision to see a therapist, or looking at someone and saying that you love them. Regardless of how people view the size of your changes, remember that every step we take clearing out the cobwebs is a powerful one. It will show in the way we interact with others, how we view ourselves, and our ability to handle the ups and downs of life.
I’m proud of my friend for her strength - and for showing so many what it means to not be held down by life. And she’s not alone - you can also feel the freedom of pursuing the life you want ... You, like her, just need to take the first step and do it.
Remember, friends: Happiness is inside of you today. Right now. It’s just up to you to define how you find it.
To the road of happiness,
Michelle
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