When Will Our Best Life Start?

Sometimes bad things happening can be a stepping stone for great change. I have been inspired by people whose stories involved a major life event that seemed devastating at the time, but based on that event, they switched their focus and made a positive change; and that eventually led to them living a life of freedom and purpose that was much better than the status quo they had settled for before.

Living a life of freedom and purpose sounds incredible, honestly. Sometimes we get the feeling that there must be more to life than what we are experiencing, or that our life will be great when a certain thing happens or when we get to the next stage. We tell ourselves that life will be better when we graduate, when we get a new job, when we are married, when we have kids, when they sleep through the night, potty train, start school, or when they graduate. That things will be better when we advance in our career, or when we retire.

At each stage it can be tempting to think things will be better when we have the next stage’s joys and are done with the current stage’s challenges. What we fail to realize though, is the next stage will bring challenges of its own. That means there isn’t any point in saying that our lives will be great when…. Our greatest life should be now. Each stage brings its own joys and challenges to experience in their turn. If what’s going on in the day to day isn’t working for us, there is only one person uniquely positioned to do something about that. Us. We don’t need a crisis to push us into making a positive change. Stagnation is enough…once we’ve had enough.

Finding our Focus

Some people like to choose a word to focus on for the new year. I know New Year’s is well and truly over, but making a positive change isn’t reserved for January 1st. A word for the year generally encapsulates the person’s goals and reminds them of their focus. It can be helpful to have this clear one-word reminder that captures everything you have chosen it to mean for you. I have done it some years, but not always. In 2023, my word was Becoming.

Sometimes we don’t have a clear picture of where we want to go, and finding one is the first goal. This is absolutely fine. It’s not important to have a perfect goal at the beginning. If you do, that’s great. If not, the important thing is to start making positive change. The ultimate goal will become clearer and more fine-tuned as you go along. I didn’t have a clear picture, but what I did know was that I wanted to grow, and in what areas I wanted to specifically focus that growth. The people whose stories inspired me didn’t start with the end in mind. They just knew what wasn’t working and found something else that was better. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” We don’t need a clear final picture to start making changes. If you have one, that’s great. If not, seeing the next couple of steps is enough, and once those are taken, the next couple will make themselves clear.

I want to encourage you to live a life you love. Not one where you simply get through the days, because the ordinary days are where our real lives happen. I encourage you to dream; to seek out the next step and take it; to jump if you need to, even if it’s scary. You can do it, and you, your family, and your future are so worth it.