Current Gratitude | 10.12.14

I'm taking my weekly current gratitude post in a bit of a different direction today to discuss something I've been thinking about a lot lately; hope you don't mind!

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I'll be the first to admit that I have a terrible tendency to over-plan/over-think all aspects of my life. I'm type-a through and through and nothing makes me happier than a well-curated schedule and knowing exactly what's going to happen in the future. If it was possible to have every day for the next three months detailed out in my planner I would be in OCD heaven.

My obsessive ability to plan/schedule/daydream about the future can be a great thing, but it can also be one of my biggest downfalls. I dream up so many ideas about how things will go and when they inevitably turn out differently I get disappointed and frustrated. Life lesson: expectations are, more often than not, just disappointments in advance.

The simple (albeit, scary) truth of the matter is that there is no real way to know exactly what's going to happen in our lives. That seemingly obvious fact is also incredibly hard to digest, especially for a person like myself. But by taking a moment to change my perspective I've realized that I spend way too much time trying to predict the unknown when I should really just be soaking in the present.

I think we all need to take a step back and make sure we're living in the present from time to time. Don't forget to enjoy the place you're in right now because you're too busy thinking/worrying about/looking forward to the future. It's so easy to spend your days wishing for the weekend, or your next stage in life, or the day you'll "have it all", but the only thing we're guaranteed is today. So take a look around and appreciate your life as it is; invest yourself in the moment you've been given. Live in the now. xo

-Lanie W.