Today is August 26, 2018 – (see August 26, 2018 on my Facebook page for video)
This time of year the days are getting shorter, signaling a the transition from summer to fall. Some of us are returning to school or to work. Today marks the start of my seventh month living in France. When I awoke this morning I reflected on the six months I’ve lived here and I began to see them as providing me with a real world education. Life being my teacher. France being my new and exciting classroom.
It’s amazing how much I’ve learned and I’m surprised at how much fun I’m having learning and growing. I think a big reason it has been fun to learn and develop is my approach to and motivation for learning has changed. I remember going off to college thirty-three years ago to earn my bachelor’s degree so I could get a good job, work a few years, go back to school to earn my masters, get an even better job and then live a secure, comfortable, and happy life.
The reason I went to college and grad school was to create a secure life for myself, not necessarily to grow personally or expand my horizons, though that happened despite my resistance to it. Bouts of severe homesickness was one way my resistance showed up. No, for me education was about checking a box in order to get that good paying, impressive job that would signal success. And that was what I did. It was a rite of passage and an expectation my parents outlined for me. One I wish I could experience with my new appreciation of learning and growth.
It’s interesting, I had not viewed this life changing move to France seven months ago as I had viewed going away to and attending college all those years ago, but this move has taught me loads of things – how to launch and produce a podcast, how to hire freelance designers effectively, how to use the subjunctive mood in French, book editing, video creation, marketing and self-promotion. I’ve also learned oh so many other lessons for living a full and joyful life – lessons of patience, developing faith in myself and in the universe, the ability to have a plan but to be flexible in its execution, being okay with not understanding how my next intuitive step will get me to the life vision I have imagined for myself, seeing the beauty and joy in the small seemingly inconsequential things in life, and in the words of the late John Hunt, who I interviewed for my podcast, “Just enjoy life!”
Sometimes I think we can find ourselves doing things to check off boxes in life because we think they are the only means to the safe and happy ends we envision for our lives. After checking off many boxes in my life, I found myself financially secure with a life that, on its surface, looked almost perfect, but I was disappointed, underwhelmed, and not very happy with many aspects of my life.
Have you ever felt this way? Today’s no regrets challenge questions are:
- What boxes have you checked off in search of that thing that someone told you would bring you to the security and happiness you sought?
- What has life taught you about checking off boxes in pursuit of a more secure future, a better happier life?
That is all for today. See you again tomorrow. Bye for now!
Patricia Brooks is a life experiences coach, speaker, and the author of Growing Bold: How to Overcome Fear, Build Confidence, and Love the Life you Live. She is the host of the Discovering Courage Podcast where each week she explores how ordinary people have managed to live extraordinary lives. Patricia is currently living in France, pursuing her dreams.
Photo Credit: Denisse Leon