My Compass in Life

Years ago I informally interviewed my grandfather about his life. We had been watching a military reality show. He had been in the military and I wanted to know who this soldier was years ago and what his dreams were. In all honesty I don’t remember much about our discussion. I may have written some of it down somewhere. The part that really stuck with me was his desire to jump from a plane. He had always wanted to but never did. I let him know that he still could, but he figured he was too old.

That memory has been solidified in my mind and is my compass in life.

I vowed right then and there to never look back with regret and always go for it if I want it. I also promised myself to never be the discourager standing in the way of someone’s dreams. I won’t have dreams hanging over me, never being realized. I won’t wonder what could have been. I won’t deny myself the chance for something fun and new and exciting.

And that’s what I do. I periodically take a look at my life and see where I am in relation to my dreams. If I am in the same spot as I was before, I begin actively taking steps towards achieving them. I also try to encourage others to follow their dreams as well. I do not want them to live with regrets. The most important thing is to just keep moving forward.

And that’s easy to say, yet often hard to do. There are obstacles in the way, beliefs holding us back and even a lack of clarity about what is truly desired. And these are just some of the challenges!