Choosing My Own Adventure
You all know I love sharing stories with you guys, but the real reason why I do what I
do here is because of the inspiration and motivation that you all give to me. None of us really
know what we're doing, myself included. There isn't a guidebook on how to live your life the way
that you want; we each have to figure it out for ourselves. Sharing your stories continuously
reminds me that we are never alone. Keep being you and keep doing what makes you
happy, regardless of what anyone else thinks. It's not their life, it's yours.
Symone reached out with a beautiful recollection of her wedding day and why she
and her husband chose to keep it simple, and how this decision set the tone for the rest of
their lives. She does an excellent job of reminding us how and why we need to
choose our own adventure every day. Thank you for sharing Symone.
@symonesapien / A Healthy Space for Humans
My husband and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I posted this picture on Facebook, and I must say I am very proud of us. We are healthier, less stressed, more connected and more revved up for our future compared to where we were a year ago.
The entire week leading up to our anniversary I had all of these thoughts running through my mind of how far we had come, and how far we will go in the future.
We are not much for celebrating holidays or participating in many traditions. In fact, our wedding day was anything but traditional. The most important day in a woman’s life is the day she gets married, right?! All of your closest friends and family celebrating you, having speeches made in your honor, living in a picturesque dream world that you created. The dress! The cake! The ring! What more could a girl ask for?
Well I didn’t want more; I wanted much, much less. I remember the day I got married fondly. I wore a navy cotton dress and he wore khakis and a linen shirt. We looked like us. Witnessed by a stranger and a co-worker, we signed the papers over champagne at a local bar and snapped a few pictures. It was a simple day, and it set the tone for the beautiful, simple life we are creating.
We had many reasons, both financial and emotional, that prompted our low key nuptial, and we decided that those reasons were all more important than our family and friend’s opinions. I am usually the one to over-think every situation into oblivion while my husband kindly nods at my rambling emotions and I frantically talk myself out of taking action. But this time I didn’t feel that way. For the first time in my life it was easy to let go of what other people thought; it didn’t matter at all. We started choosing our own adventure that day.
Every day that adventure looks different. We choose each day to fill our lives with dreams that keep us motivated, knowledge that will propel us forward, and love that keeps us grounded. Even with our solid foundation, I still find myself feeling ashamed for the life I want sometimes. It’s not ordinary and there’s not a path laid out to copy. I know that my fear of the unknown future is a learned fear but it is still a very real fear. It’s difficult to be proud of your dreams and ideas when you allow negative opinions of people who do not understand you to penetrate your mind.
Reflecting on our first year of adventure has reminded me to stick to my mantras. It’s been easy to slip into normal life, with social media, co-workers, and friends constantly nearby with opinions that creep in. My map gets murky and I lose my sense of direction. Maybe that’s why we have beautiful traditions like wedding anniversaries to remind us to think back to the time we made the choice. Here’s me reminding myself how to keep choosing my own adventure:
- Focus on the areas of life that help you grow into your best self, so that you can share your best self with the world.
- Be the ruler of your schedule, mind, and body to achieve peace.
- It’s okay if what is important to you is not important to your family, friends and peers. They have their own desires and dreams.
- Do not invest your time or energy into things that will drain you; your time is precious and limited.
- Be your best self no matter how that looks, cause it always looks great.
Thanks for riding my wave length,
Symone