Are you Settling?

I live in an average neighborhood in Middle TN.  When I look around at the majority of my neighbors, all I see are "settlers."  I'm not saying that in a bad way...to each his own. I just know that I don't want to be one of them. I don't want to accept my job as what I will be doing for the rest of my life because it's stable. I don't want to live in this house forever because I own it and life is manageable.  I think one of a few things happen. Some people have dreams that they are made to believe aren't achievable. Some people fall into lifestyle patterns that they aren't willing to break. Some people think, that the life they have is the life they were given.  That's fine for some but not for me.

I refuse to wake up 30-40 years from now wishing that I'd have tried something different. Wishing that I'd have taken the time to explore things; interests. There are so many things in this world that I might be really good at!  How will I ever know, if I'm not willing to try?  And trying those things that I'm interested in, or going to places I've never visited before, could lead me into a completely new and fulfilling life.  Perhaps not, but I believe it's worth trying.

Some people may think that I'm too old to make changes now. My dad is a firm believer in sticking with the job that has "good pay and good benefits."  Those are exactly the things that directly aid in "settling."

I was just telling my boss the other day, that I am comfortable being in a neutral position though I know I'm capable of growing in the company.  I'm rather intelligent, hard-working, and I'm very good at finding ways to develop and implement new strategies. But I don't want to advance. I told her I plan to work there for a few more years, while I develop my own personal plan to do my own thing.  Why wouldn't I want to advance?  Many people think that's stupid because EVERYONE wants an opportunity to advance, right?  Nope.  To me, it's money and responsibility. And what happens to a lot of people that make more money and get more responsibilities? They start to settle.  Not everyone. Some people love what they do and if that's what makes them happy, like I said before, to each his own.  But, that will not make me happy.

I know now, that it's worth it to me to start taking risks. To do things for myself. To start learning more things that I want to learn. To be adventurous in life, because I only have ONE!  Life is here to be enjoyed. To thrive in happiness. And anyone, like many of my neighbors, some people in my family, many of my friends, that aren't happy, are missing out on so much.

Through meditation and yoga, I'm learning how to focus on my soul. You need to listen to your inner self. I'm sure it has an abundance of things to tell you, and if you disagree then you aren't listening.  You're settling.