"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was a genius. How much can one person do in their lifetime... it seems almost impossible to me. I have never felt like what I did amounted to much for anyone else. I wasn't striving to impact people in a big way. That wasn't my path. I followed the crowd, lingering a little bit behind as to allow them to pave the way for me. But now I've come to my very own crossroads and I have to make my own decision. There is no one to pave the way for me.
June 2010 in California, my sister Katie was walking on the beach with me when she made a prediction. She said, "Christina, I predict that you will find a major that will surprise you. You will travel someplace new and you will serve a friend and enjoy it." Now her predictions were for the coming year and they didn't come true then, but they are certainly starting to poke their heads out of the ground like late bloomers often do.
I am a late bloomer, I think. I am just now coming to realize things that would have made my life so different three or even four years ago. Everything happens for a reason and I simply need to trust that the Lord has His plans for me. But in truth, it is as Steve said. "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." How many of us have drowned out the emotional for the sensible? Now, I am most definitely NOT saying that everything we do should be emotional... there is a time and place for that. But when we allow our heads to direct our every movement and decision... I'll leave that sentence unfinished mostly because I feel as though the answer is different for everyone. You look back at life and realize that the things that made your world turn a year ago, hardly matter at all to you now. So look at the problems you're facing currently and remember that. Easier said than done, of course, but every little bit helps.
Life is plain old scary and often you feel like you have to face it alone. And in some ways, you do. I look into my future, terrified of what I don't see there. No husband, no job, no life plan. But then I realize that I'm trying to see far ahead of me... all the way to the horizon, the ultimate ending and that, my friends, is cheating. We've all heard the saying "take joy in the journey" and it may seem redundant, but it's true! As much as life sucks sometimes, what we become, who we are when we go to meet our maker, is found on this road. So don't choose the one your parents think is right for you, or the one that your friends are going down, or the road that everyone is traveling... Take the road that was meant for you. It may be covered in moss and leaves and look a wee bit scary... or a lot bit scary... but it was meant for you. And as long as you have faith, Heavenly Father will take your hand and lead you down that road.
And just in case you don't believe me, believe Brian Stokes Mitchell. His voice says it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a50HfPVpMZY
