Changes...

There are moments in every life that open our eyes to the fact that not only is change necessary, but that our life simply isn't what we pictured it to be. We all have an image in our head of what life "should" look like. We all have that picture of our life in our mind. However, often times real life doesn't match that image. Real life is messy. Real life is hard. Real life has a life of its own.

We all have that moment when we take the time to stop and assess our life. We dig deep into the dark corners and then compare it to that image we've held onto. If you're lucky, you find that real life is better than the image in your head. If you're lucky, real life even though it's messy and hard, doesn't even compare to what you pictured. Then there is the other side of that, sometimes you find that real life is so far from the image in your head that you have no choice but to make changes.

Change is one of those things in life that is never easy. It doesn't matter what the change is, it will be difficult. It's just a fact. We get comfortable in our lives and we fight against anything that comes along that would disturb that comfort. But, the reality is, we only have this one life. That's it, just one. We don't know how long that life will be. So, in those moments of introspection, we have to decide if it's worth fighting against change, or if we need to embrace it.

We only have this one life, and our biggest goal should always be to make a difference in the time we have here. But, in order to do that, you have to be happy. You have to be living your best life. Sometimes that means embracing change, and making the tough decisions. Sometimes that means reassessing the life you are living, and asking yourself, "Am I truly happy? Or am I just existing?" Once you've answered those questions, then the choice is yours of what the next step is.

Change isn't easy. Change is really, really hard. But, it is often the necessary step to take in order for you to have that best life. We should all strive for true, deep down happiness in our lives. There's no do-overs here. There's no replays. This is it. This what we have. There is nothing wrong with putting yourself and your happiness first, even if that means making the tough decision to embrace those big changes.

There is nothing wrong with taking a stand in your life and being a little bit selfish, if that means you can be truly happy. Being selfish doesn't always have to be a bad thing. So often we are completely focused on not being selfish, that we lose ourselves. In life happiness is often, almost always, found within. I know, I get it, that sounds incredibly cheesy. But, it's the truth.

We can't rely on anyone else for our happiness. Other people in our lives can add to that happiness, they can expand on it. But, they can create it for us. We are the only ones that can create happiness in our own life. You just have to take the time to look inside and decide what happiness is for you. Then you have decide if you are willing to embrace the changes necessary to obtain that happiness.

What will you choose? Will you choose to embrace change? Or will you run from it?