Today, as I was slowly making my way through my never-ending list of emails, I came across one sentence that stopped me in my tracks:
Your life unfolds in proportion to your courage.
It's spot on. Change is inevitable, yes. But how your life changes and the control you have over that change is completely dependent on you.
If you sit back and passively go through your days, life will happen to you. Seasons will change, and you may blink and realize that ten years have passed you by.
It may sound a bit harsh, but unless you wake up every morning with set intentions for how you want to live your life, life is just going to happen to you. It has certainly happened to me. As someone who loves routine, I have to say there's a comfort in having a day-to-day way of life. You have your morning coffee/tea, get ready, shuffle off to work, have dinner with a friend, maybe watch some shows or catch up on reading, and get ready for the next day.
But what if that routine was really a trap? It's so easy for these daily motions to suck us in, and then one day we look up and it's a few months (or years!) later. We trade in intentional living for the comforts of what's known. You know exactly how each day will unfold, so much so that nothing really changes all that much.
Do you really want to live that way? I definitely don't. And while the recovering-perfectionist in me has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to a more routine-less life, it's incredible what a difference it's made in my life.
Now, I wake up wondering how in the world it is already November, because so much has happened in just a few short months. As another birthday comes and goes, it's a little bit crazy to realize just how much has changed in my life in only a year.
One thing I know for certain? I would never be where I am today if I didn't break free from my routine.
So, don't get stuck in your trap. Set goals. Live intentionally. Take control of how your life unfolds. Even having a little more courage in your daily life can turn into huge changes later on.
This post was originally published on Quarter for Your Crisis, an online community of like-minded individuals who are looking to turn their passions into a purpose and lead more authentic & meaningful lives.