“You need goals that give you goosebumps, friends that give you energy, Lovers that give you butterflies, and a mission that makes it impossible to sleep and irresistible to wake up. It feels like fireworks in your mind.  So use excitement as a compass. It shows you exactly where to go,” (Zachprogrob).  When we think about the course of our lives and how we want things to look, these are things we should keep in mind.  We should feel joy and excitement about our lives, a thrill at the idea of taking the next step, excited to turn the page.  I’ve been talking about leadership the last few days and it’s partially because I’ve been feeling stuck.  I let the people around me derail my thinking for a time and the truth is I’m struggling a bit to keep up with everything both personally and professionally.  I’m a bit lost, asking myself what my goals are and whether or not I have those goosebumps and if my life is filled with that type of excitement.  I certainly don’t feel dread or anything like that, and I know there are pieces that excite me, but I also know I want this insatiable lust for life that is described above.  I also know I’m working toward it and I’m trying to be patient to see all the results, and there are still changes to be made on my end—like not letting those around me stop me from where I’m going.

I’ve wasted enough time doing what other people told me to do, trying to please them, trying to keep a middle ground and keep the peace between others, making everyone happy at the cost of my own sanity and peace and happiness.  There are things that give me joy, but I certainly don’t have the goosebumps about my life right now.  I have a TON that I am appreciative of but not much in the way of excitement for what is to come.  I’ve been working on projects I enjoy outside of work but my time is limited and it’s become difficult to get the work in that I want to and my relationships have been struggling.  I feel like I’m on the outside of the conversation more often than not now—so I question whether or not these are the right people around me anyway.  I do not feel the reciprocal energy or support from people.  In that regard, it is a reminder that we need to find our own way to connect to source or find a way to be our own source—we can’t rely on other people to fill us up like that, especially if they aren’t really aligned with who we are.  I’ve said it a million times over these years: we must know who we are in order to bring the right people, places, events, and things into our lives.  If we want the tingles and the joy we need to find what gives us tingles and joy. 

This piece isn’t about lamenting what we don’t have, not by any means.  This is meant to spark that reminder, that feeling of excitement and lust for life.  I have so much gratitude for where I’m at, and I know now that I’m looking for that final piece: the fulfillment of purpose and the life it brings.  I’m not just talking about how I live my life, I’m talking about the life that gets added to each moment when we are aligned.  That goal in itself gives me goosebumps, the possibility of feeling that energy flowing through my body every day.  The feeling of confidence, of being supported, that each action is exactly what it needs to be, that the people around us understand us.  I guess that goes back to my point about knowing ourselves as well: in order to be understood we must understand.  As we wind down the year, I want to encourage everyone to seek out these live-giving and perhaps life-altering feelings.  Look for the joy, the inspiration, the draw, the drive of live.  Don’t settle for getting through the day because all the days become the same.  Look for the thrill and the excitement of life because the possibilities are endless and that potential should excite everyone.  It’s up to us to navigate the way.  Follow the joy.