When I tell people I have no regrets in my life, I often get looked at like I have two heads and have just stepped out of the lagoon. They sit there scratching their head, moving their hand over their chin, rubbing it from side to side and then question me on 'how could I have a life with no regrets?'
Well, I believe everything happens for a reason. Some of you will agree and others will not. Guess what??? I don’t believe in coincidences either? Do you? If you don’t believe in coincidences, do you believe in luck? We could go on and on and round in circles on this topic but I will save it for another day and another blog so stay tuned! 🤷🏻♀️
I was all set on what I thought about regrets in my life until, during one of my favorite workout classes today, my instructor’s topic to talk about was DREAMS…Big Dreams or No Dreams and he discussed the thought of REGRETTING not taking action towards your dreams…
SSCCRREEEEEEEEEECCHH............
Wait a minute!!! I just mentioned, I don’t have ANY regrets! NOW, the thought of projecting ahead and thinking that NOT taking action towards the one thing I want so badly in my life could lead to me having regrets, I was completely overwhelmed.
What if?
What would?
What next?
were some of the questions that spun through my head as I ran...
Hmmmm, I thought as I took a full breath in, slowed my mind down and realized -- I was projecting and this was not something I could predict. After a pause (a moment where time stands still in my mind), I remembered my belief that everything happens for a reason and the idea that we have:
Reasons, Seasons and Lifetimes
Reasons are those people, places, events that come into your life and hold a purpose…where you learn something but know that it may be the only time you experience it and you definitely received a gift from it.
A good friend of mine once asked me if I wanted to go to see this famous Medium in a large group setting. I said sure, knowing it would be a great experience. When it was close to the event date, she reached out to me and told me the big event was sold out but he was holding a small private group event that we could get in to. Obviously, to us, if we were supposed to be at the big event, tickets would have been available but this was where we were supposed to be and after attending, I understood the ‘reason’ we were to be at the private event! Can you recall a time or event in your life that you recognize the reason it happened or didn't happen?
Seasons are when people, places, events or activities come into your life for a period of time and help to more steadily move you forward so you can live the life you were meant to live. This could be a marriage, a career / job, even a kind of workout you are doing for a few years before you change course. Seasons can either fade away, like one season fades into the other or they can change abruptly like when we skip spring and go from winter to summer. It is the abrupt changes that can cause disruption in our lives until we settle into the new temperature, per se, and keep moving forward, knowing that soon, another season will be upon us! Can you name a season in your life?
In my younger days, I was a competitive bodybuilder and that season lasted 5 years. Then I went on to solely practice yoga for 5 years…I was, now, conscious that I had a 5 year season. I never stopped practicing yoga but just added in other activities. When I started playing tennis, at the 5 year mark, I panicked at the thought of this ‘season’ ending and I hung onto it only to have it burn me out 10 years later. What would have happened if I had been okay with letting it go years sooner? Sometimes we hang on to seasons thinking they are supposed to be lifetimes and they are really just seasons! My seasons of sports / activities have played a big role in who I am as a teacher / coach.
Lifetimes are those people, places, events and activities that stay with us most of our lives. I also call them the ROCKS. They endure the test of time no matter what you throw at them. These are often the people that we call our TRIBES. The ones that love us no matter what we do, good or bad. They pick us up when we are down and cheer us on when we are up! Lifetimes can come into our lives at any point, not just when we are young. You know WHO they are! 😀
It is important to recognize these stages. We tend to cling on tightly to what we know and become afraid of letting go for fear of the unknown but so often, the unknown brings something new into our lives to continue moving us forward, helping us grow and shine our light for others to follow!
We so often get caught up in the tasks and actions steps and miss looking at the true meaning of things. Now, the fact that I spoke about ‘no regrets’ earlier this week and I was prompted to rethink my definition today is not a coincidence…it brings me full circle, reminding me of what I believe in for myself and this allows me to keep going. People around me seem to be moving at mach speed in their lives and careers and where it works for them, honestly, it overwhelms me…as much as I want to be there…
I can only be HERE…I will NEVER be THERE because THERE is ALWAYS HERE!
"Reason, Season, Lifetime
the people in your life are not there by accident"
~Autumn Jones
Many thanks to all those that always inspire me to write. I love all of you!
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Built Stronger from the Inside OUT
Photos courtesy of Unsplash.com
Flowers & butterfly photo by Boris Smokrovic
Yoga photo by Dave Contreras
Woman in sunligh photo by Harli Marten