A Life Worth Sharing

I long for a slower, gentler life. I often daydream about what this life looks like. Here are my top 3 scenarios:

• Spending a day at the tide pools. Barefoot, climbing rocks. Feeling the cold, wet sand on my hands and feet. Feeling the cool, salty breeze of the ocean.
• Riding my bike down a lush green bike trail. Feeling the wind as I ride by. Feeling the warm sunshine on my skin. Hearing the gentle crunch of dry leaves as I ride by.
• Planting seeds and expanding my vegetable garden. Taking my gloves off and digging my fingers into the cool, wet soil. Breathing in the scent of tierra mojada.

None of these are unrealistic. The problem is that I have a hard time letting go of control, self-imposed expectations, and work. Work is my top priority, and it has been for a long time. That's sad. I don't want to continue to live a life where I am helping others achieve their goals, while mine gather dust.

Not too long ago, I did a life review to figure out where I’m going and where I’m coming from. I realized that I am not living by my valued goals. So, I am on a mission to change that.

I want to be more connected to and available for the people that I care about. I want to be more spontaneous and give myself a break! I want to be more willing to participate in new experiences and truly try to see the world as it is and not as I think it should be.

My valued goals perfectly align with the primary concepts of Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a treatment that was created to help over controlled, perfectionistic, high achieving, rigid people like me! I am not quite sure where this blog is going, but I do know that I will be incorporating RO-DBT learning into my life to help me create a life worth sharing.

 

Diving Deeper

How about you? Are you living the life that you want? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

What have been your top 3 priorities this year? Do they align with your valued goals?

What's your current relationship with your loved ones? Is it as close as you’d want it to be? If not, what is getting in the way?

What things about you have stayed the same over the years? What have been the benefits and the draw backs?

What is your biggest regret so far? Are you at risk of being a repeat offender?