If you asked me ten years ago what I wanted out of life I would have said,

“Success”.

I used to think being successful meant you were valuable so that is what I strived for, that is the path I traveled on.

I think early on school sold me the idea that hard work and career advancement was the key to a happy and successful life.

But now, I could not disagree more.

Success is the farthest thing from my mind now a days.

If I close my eyes and think about what I want out of life now, it’s so different.

It’s a tiny house surrounded by flowers and apple trees.
It’s hanging my laundry on a clothing line.
It’s staying up late reading,
and napping outside on a warm summer afternoon.

I want more of that.

I never want to lose sight of the small, beautiful things in life.

I am not saying that because you strive for success in the workplace that you are doing something wrong.

All I am saying is that it will never be my top priority, and I don’t think it should be yours either.

There are things I want in life that are more important than my job, there is time that I need and I cannot have both.

So if I can’t have both, than this is what I choose.

Life is too damn short. And you only get one shot at it.

I don’t know if I have my whole life ahead of me,
and neither do you.

And I don’t want to live my life in an office,
behind a glass prison.

Because what I crave in life,
is so much more beautiful than that.

I can’t go a million miles an hour; I can’t climb this mountain.

And I won’t let anyone tell me that my job is more important than taking care of myself.

I won’t look back at my life and think; damn I should have spent more time at work. I should have spent more time making money.

I don’t need millions; I don’t need mansions.

There is nothing wrong with financial success.

But if money is costing you something, to me, that is too much.

Family, friends, your health, time…

I want to do something for someone,

I want to learn from my mistakes.

I am so thankful I went to school and did what I was good at and not what I was passionate about,
I am so thankful I took a job I didn’t like,
I am so thankful and you know why.

Because every mistake and experience,
taught me who I wasn’t,
which in turn, forced me to be more of who I was.

More than anything else,
It gave me a clear picture of what my purpose was,
what it always was.

Life is full of beauty,
and when you find something,
devour it.

This is how I want to live my life. This is who I want to be.

I want to keep my happiness,
more than anything else.
I want to conceal it,
bury it,
so that I may never lose it.

But I also know we can’t have it all.
I know that.

But I do believe we can have most of it.