Conditional Statements....

Otherwise known as "conditionals"..... we all make them. "If" I lose weight, "then" I will be happy. "If" I make more money, "then" things will be better. The "if" and "then" are qualifiers of what you feel "needs" to happen in order for something to "be" or "take place"... a statement of result.

Now, Oprah calls moments of clarity "ah-ha" moments.... times in life when you "figure something out". I had a moment like this in the shower today... and maybe I'll just call it a "duh moment". It is kind of commonsensical... but apparently I hadn't caught on until this morning. For so long in my life I've been tied up in the "if ....then" continuum. It occurred to me this morning that if you remove the "if ....then"..... you are just grateful for what you have when you have it. Why do people always try to qualify and quantify things, when reveling in the present is so much more rewarding and amazing? Instead of thinking things like .... "If" I lose weight, "then" I will be ..... more attractive, happier, healthier, yadda yadda..... why don't I focus on the present moment and BEING these things.... not planning the "if" and "when" of them? "If" I run a 10 minute miles, "then" I can consider myself a runner. How ridiculous. When I run, I am a runner. When you play sports, you are an athlete. When I DO, I AM.

I'm not saying that I don't want to have general goals for life or a plan, but maybe I've been holding on too tight to what things "should" look like . A friend once told me that the word "should" implies expectations... and expectations are just pre-meditated resentment. So, why am I setting myself up to fail, feel guilty, etc. Why anyone would ever choose to live that way.. and why I did for so long, I'm not sure.

So, I'm done, I'm off my soapbox. I just wanted to add my two cents and express what my process and progress is in this life... what makes sense to me. I'm real and honest and just trying to do the best I can. Working with so many people that have lost this chance and have lost their dreams.... it has really made an impact on me. No one ever can know what tomorrow will bring, not with all the planning in the world.... we are all just on a journey and the "goal" might just be to enjoy the moments..... not the destination....

"Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans....." -John Lennon