CHECKLIST FAIL

If any of you are like me you'd probably dreamed up your perfect life.  Made a list of all the things you'd planned to do before you hit 30, or 40 or 50.  I was going back through my list in my head last night, and according to my "CHECKLIST" my life has really gone down the toilet.

I always thought by the time I was 30 I'd have been married, had two kids, and lived in this perfect little house.  Thought I'd have my own business, and just not have to worry about the day to day things, because everything was supposed to work out EXACTLY how I had planned it.

NEWS FLASH!!  The only thing I've accomplished from the above list is the perfect little house.  The only bad thing about the perfect little house is that I'm never at it.  Two or three weeks a year in your own home doesn't exactly put it in the "home sweet home" category.

Now obviously life 10 years ago was a lit different.  I was a little more naive (or a lot) and didn't really understand what kind of hiccups that life could throw at you.  Life isn't perfect.  You can't just go around checking off your "TO DO" things by a certain date.  I mean there is nothing wrong with having goals and a plans.  But you also need to be flexible.  Just because you haven't met the criteria of your "checklist" doesn't mean that you aren't successful.

If I were to make my list now, with all the things I know, I wouldn't have been nearly as hard on myself.  I know that having unrealistic goals isn't conducive to anything.  I know who I am, what I want, and I know that it takes work to get there.  Things aren't just handed to people on silver platters.  Life has a funny way of teaching all of us lessons.  Sometimes the harder the better!  So for now, I'm going to take my list and burn it.  Just because I didn't live up to my 18-year-old standards of life doesn't mean that my life is a failure!  All of the things on that list will happen if they are meant to.  In the mean time, I'm going to live life and enjoy every moment of it!