No one knows what happens next. None of us. One of my favorite movies is “Paycheck” with Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman. Where the premise of the movie is that Ben Affleck is able to go into the future and bring back the secrets so the people in his current time can manipulate what they do so that the future is therefore altered from the state it would have been in had the decision and choices remained as they were going to be. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what was going to happen next? To know if a decision or choice you make today will have a negative impact on something tomorrow? Maybe even just a few of the winning powerball numbers? I talk about winning, too, but, I can’t win if I don’t play. Does the lack of guarantee prevent you from taking a chance? Does the fear of the unknown keep you stuck? Are you in a constant state of being afraid, even though you want your future to be different? We probably all know people like that. The ones that are more afraid of living so they don’t live at all. “Living in fear is not living.” I get it. It can be scary. So are roller coaster rides. But what do you think life is, BUT a roller coaster ride?! How do you want your future to look different? Do you want to lose weight? What are you doing today to get to the future you desire? If you are feeding your face cheesecake and pop all day, then you are not helping yourself. You are self-sabotaging. Do you want another job? Are you taking on more projects at your current job? Are you going back to school? If you aren’t changing what you are doing, then don’t expect anything to be different. Why don’t you try? I used to tell one of my son’s “If you don’t give yourself a chance, no one else will.” No one is going to do it for you. Not one person. Ultimately, if you want to be better, then you have to make yourself better. Don’t get me wrong, others will be there to help you along the way, but when it comes down to it, this is YOUR life. Would you want your life to be surprising or do you like knowing every single thing that is going to happen. I used to plan for every single thing, but I never was 100% successful. Give life a try. Just one itsy bitsy step at a time, if that is all you can do. As you walk a little further, you will find that the future is not as scary of you thought it was before. And here is the catch, once you get to the future, it eventually becomes today. And today isn’t all that bad. When you are given chances to take, don’t be afraid to take them. How do you know what you can do until you do what you can do? Believe in tomorrow. It may not give you everything you have ever wanted, but it will give you just enough. Have a little faith is what will be and understand that everything happens for a reason. Trust the future as it will come. No one wants to know everything anyway. Where is the fun in that? As I was doing some reminiscing this week, I had to travel into my past in order for me to try to retrace the steps that go me to here. And although there were several leaps of faith, pounding hearts, and wanting to retreat, I also know that the past has brought me to who I am and that will in turn shape me for who I will be. And with the future just around the corner, I know that I am “Better Than I Used To Be” by Tim McGraw and can’t wait to see what happens next!
Michelle A. Homme 2014 ©