I am all about being flexible with the relationship between your heart and mind. Painting a beautiful passionate mess all over the picture perfect life you’ve created in your head. But allowing yourself to be a rag doll with no purpose, being pulled in thousands of different directions, is not what I am getting at. It is a careful balancing act: being passionate, colorful, messy and leading with your heart, while also being intentional about your life and future. We are all on a path to somewhere. Even if you’re not sure where that path is ultimately leading, the decisions you make, the steps you take and the things you do today will impact where you are tomorrow. And even when it doesn’t feel like it, you are in control of your own tomorrow.

While you are out living your life, I want you to stop in a positive moment and take 10 minutes to yourself. What do you want? Where do you want to be? Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, when you’re 40? Are you ready to map out next year, or is it easier for you to see next month? Is it hard to map out next month, but easy to see the life you want to live in 20 years? It is your road map, you decide. Start with the kind of person that you want to be, because at the end of the day that is what is the most important.

Write it out; break it down:

I want to be…

Compassionate, honest, kind, intelligent, intentional, independent.

What do I want to do/achieve?

I want a master’s degree. I want a career. I want to be financially stable and independent. I want a family. I want a house near the water. I want to travel and see the world.

How am I going to get there? More importantly, how am I going to get there while enjoying the life I live now?

This is the hard part because it is easy to get lost in the moments of today and forget the importance of tomorrow. It is equally easy to get too caught up with the idea of tomorrow and forget about living today.

The easiest way to achieve this balance is to make sure you are setting your sights on things that make you feel alive, things that you are excited to work toward. Keep in mind that this is a lifelong journey that would be very lonely without wonderful people by your side, and making time for yourself and your loved ones.

My road map changes all the time. It can change in a week, or in a minute. I never thought I would live in California for the summer, or sign a lease to live in Manhattan come September. And I am sure a trillion other things/people/ideas will enter and exit my life giving me a new perspective and changing the way I see my road map as I work to achieve my goals. My goals may even change!

Let it happen! Reassess, put your feet back on the ground, keep moving forward and always stay passionate, colorful and intentional.

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