Live as if this is all there is

"Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
L a u g h.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is"

- Mary Anne M.B.L. Radmacher

Every time I read this something didn’t sit right with me. So I hesitated to complete this blog until I had figured it out for myself. Now how and what I think are my thoughts, not yours. And perhaps in sharing them, it will help you clarify those things that don’t sit well with you. And now that I read it again I realise it’s the last line. "Live as if this is all there is". For me it’s not settling. It’s striving for more. That’s not to say I’m not content in my life because I love my life. And yes there are a few things I’d love to change and if I just had that magic wand......

But I don't. So instead I think I would like to say to myself reach for the sky, and be happy with what you have. I will continue reaching and dreaming and doing my darndest to make those dreams a reality. And yes that may be tossed with a bit of wishing here and there, and letting my imagination loose with the possibility that anything can happen. I am a firm believer of serendipity. But I won’t live as if this is all there is, for to me that says stop right here.

I do what I love, appreciate my friends and hope I tell them enough just how much, continue to learn, never regret my choices as I can always make new ones if these don’t work out, laughter is constant in my life, I play often and with abandon, take good care of myself (though sometimes I need a reminder), listen to those around me....and practice mindfulness automatically (and I’d better if I’m going to be an effective Coach), walk to the edge and rarely set boundaries for myself unless it’s to practice wellness and safety, and I live with intention every day. Never again will I take even one day for granted, ‘cause I can never get it back (and here’s where some of my wishes come into play.)

And no...not sharing them. It’s like blowing out your candles on a birthday cake. If you tell they won’t come true.

Many make resolutions on New Year’s Eve. I make a wish on the stroke of midnight and the rest of the year make intentions every day, like mini goals, that I absolutely intend for them to happen ‘right now’ not later.

So I intend to live as if this isn’t all there is, that there’s tonnes more to learn and experience and jump into with both feet, eyes open.

What is your intention? Because if you intend for something to happen it will and nothing will ever stand in your way.

Best!

Donna Karlin