The other day, I had a nice chat with a friend. We were talking about life, about professional fulfillment, and about everyday challenges. I, being a 27 year old female involved in multiple projects and professional endeavors, and who has yet to decide on one concrete path, and my friend; an extremely successful male CEO in his late thirties have so much in common, and yet we are in such different stages of life. “How is this possible?” I asked myself.

Because no matter where you are in life, and no matter how much success you have achieved, there will always be something else.

Something to worry about. Something to plan for. Something to grow. Something to downsize. Something to feel. Something new to consider. Something old that comes back. Someone to love. Someone to let go of. Someone who hurts you. Someone you hurt…

And because there is always something, it is that much more important to remain grounded in the present moment of your life and to find joy in it. Because we all have that “something” and it’s not about that thing, it’s about our relationship with it.  To remember that your circumstances do not define you, but exist to shape you into being the best version of you. That is something to remember. To remember that you have a choice in how you approach your ” something.” That, my dear friends, seems like the most important something of all.

I was in Santa Monica a few months ago. It was past midnight and I was on the beach watching the waves crashing in the moonlight. It was absolutely beautiful and I could feel the ocean calling me in. I wanted so much to jump right in and trust the waves, but I was scared. Despite the fear, I felt like I just had to do it. And so I did. I ran right into the ocean trusting that it would take care of me. I could not see the waves coming, but I knew they would come and that they would be powerful. I remained vigilant, but I trusted nature would take care of me. I felt so alive. I just let go and enjoyed that very simple moment under the moonlight.

I try to live my life with the same attitude I had that night. I do not always see what is ahead of me.

Sometimes it looks very dark and I do not see the next wave coming, but I trust that it won’t drown me. I trust that if I jump in and have faith in myself and in life’s course, that I will come out more than fine, I will come out feeling inspired and energized, just like I felt that night when I came out of the ocean.

I am not suggesting that you jump into the ocean at night, unless of course that is what feels natural for you. I am suggesting that you find some balance when it comes to trusting yourself, as the main character in your own story. That’s the kind of balance that only you can discover. Currently, I’m working on finding the balance between yoga and cigarettes. My friend is working on finding balance between boot camp and bourbon.

What are you working on?

June 2013 Issue