A wise man by the name of Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Although he is just a character from a movie, he could not make a stronger point. Many of us get into a specific routine everyday, and we go through it so many times until it becomes clockwork. Eventually, we stop really thinking about what we're doing because our daily routine has even become all too familiar. Do you know what the problem with that is? Can you remember the last time you just sat in silence and thought to yourself? It could have been about anything and everything, and for as long as you wanted, but have you done that recently? If you lead a busy life like me, your answer is probably no. As cliche as this is going to sound, I believe that it is important to sit and reflect, and take times to really smell the roses. This is something that I always wish I had more time to do.
First reflect on your past. While you will not be able to remember your first words spoken or your first steps, try and remember some of the lessons you learned as a kid. By this, I don't mean the typical "Don't talk with your mouth full!" or "What's the magic word?", but rather the deeper ones. Think about all the times your parents sat you down, looked you straight in the eye, and told you something truly meaningful. That is a moment that has shaped you into the individual you are today, whether you realize it or not. Think about all the times you wish you had more courage, and how much you have grown since then. You might have been afraid to ride the ferris wheel, but now barely get a thrill from an upside down roller coaster. Think about all the times when you could have used more determination, and how now you feel like you can do anything you set your mind to.
Remember all the times when you could not give yourself the push you needed to do something, and how now you feel like you are unstoppable. Rather than spending all of your valuable time thinking about all the stresses in your day-to-day life, think about all of the little moments that molded you into the person capable of cramming so much into one day! We rarely think about the journey we took to get to this point in our lives, but when we do, we can really see just what a crazy ride it was...but also how rewarding it was too.
Take a few minutes to think about where you see yourself in the future. We all have that dream career in mind, even if it is not the same princess dream we had when we were seven. What are the steps you are willing to take to reach that dream job? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?
Remind yourself that you are capable of anything, and lay out a structured path to success, for that will build your wall of motivation that will never be demolished. Think about all of the relationships you have had throughout your life. When I say relationships, I am talking more about some of your closest friends you had growing up. Are you still just as close? Do you wish you were closer? Are you going to continue to strengthen your relationship in the future? These are the people that have shaped you as a child, and have molded you into the person you are today.
Think about all of the decisions you have made throughout a portion of your life. Where they the best decisions for you? Is it something that you would decide to do again? The decisions we make early in life help to teach us the impeccable difference between right and wrong, which is a skill that you will used every day in your life.
Finally, think above all of the times that you have ever dreamt about shooting for the stars. Maybe you came us with a super awesome idea, and thought about how great it would be if your vision came true. Well, who is stopping you? Sure there might be some obstacles along the way, but you should learn to tell yourself that you have the strength to overcome them. This is probably the most important concept to grasp while taking this time to reflect.
If you get nothing else out of this time that you set aside for yourself, remember to think about everything that is important to you. Never burden yourself with stresses from your everyday life, or things that you might have to do later in the day. Take some time to "smell the roses" and relax, you will feel so much more in touch with yourself when you are done. Connect with your inner self, and cleanse it of all negativity so you can attack the rest of the day with a renewed sense of optimism! Who knows, you might even notice things about yourself that you might not have noticed if you did not take this time for yourself!
