I was hoping to write something inspiring and wonderfully encouraging today, but alas, here it is the end of the day and I’m still looking at a blank screen.  Nothing is coming to mind and the more I try to “trigger” something the stronger my writer’s block seems to be.

Isn’t this sometimes true of life?  The harder we strain for something the farther away it seems to get.  The irony here is that the more we want something the more we just need to relax and let it happen.  Of course we must do our due diligence and prepare, but after we have done all we can do, we must just sit back and relax.  We need to stop straining and trying to force a situation and just let it come to fruition.

Interestingly I’m having this very discussion with my daughter right now.  She will be auditioning for both an advanced drama troupe and an advanced girls’ choir next week.  She desperately wants to “make it” into both groups, but with no formal training in either area, she may find she is better suited for the “general” ensembles.  I hope that is not the case.  I hope that she knocks ‘em dead next week and is brilliant in her auditions.  But, if she is not, she needs to welcome the results, learn as much as she can from the groups in which she is placed and try again next year.

This is a lesson that is most difficult to learn, not only for my teen daughter, but also for us as adults.  We want what we want and we don’t want to settle for less.  I am all for setting lofty goals and striving to reach them – I believe there is great value in shooting for the stars and I do it most of the time – but in doing so, we must not overlook the value that comes from interim steps.  When we don’t reach our goals we must embrace where we are and learn as much from our situation as possible.  That way, the next time we shoot for the stars we will be better equipped to reach them.

Choose a Better Life by reaching for the stars, embracing the learning that happens along the way, and relaxing and letting situations unfold by themselves.