I Like Change and I Change Likes. Do You?
Here’s a little exercise I designed to help you reflect on your life. The first person to try it wrote me and thanked me for giving her a much needed opportunity to focus on herself for a few minutes. Maybe you need a reason to do that as well.
What I What I Want In Life
- The chance to ___
- Time for ___
- To see ___
- To experience ___
- To talk to ___
- To listen to ___
- To sit ___
- To hear ___
- The freedom to ___
- The inspiration to ___
- Take occasional ___
- To frequently ___
What are the things you absolutely must have in this life in order to feel that you have lived the life you were meant to live?
I’ve had some interesting experiences with this. I emailed it to absolutely everyone that I thought might participate. Very few people actually did. From this I could only guess at the reasons. There are those that have already done something like this (ex: What Color Is Your Parachute) and don’t need to look at it again Some people don’t want to focus on what they have and don’t have in life. Some just don’t like to be analytical. Others are too busy living life to question it. A few might not want to face the answers. Others have a lot of reasons why they can’t live the life they always wanted.
“People either have results in their lives or the reasons why they don’t” from the business card of Bonnie Andrkopoulos as quoted in Living Simply.
I’ve always liked to ask myself, “How should my life be different?” I like change and I change likes. It works for me.
Take # 6. What I liked at 20 isn’t remotely what I like now. I would have said I like to listen to very loud Simon and Garfunkel, in my 30’s it was loud Billy Joel and so on. Now? Very loud bird songs and nature music, but only because I don’t hear as well anymore. Go figure.
Take # 5 Who do you like to talk to or who would you like to talk to? I would always have answered that with God. When I was very little, I played on a large moss-speckled rock in the woods just out of sight of my mom at the campsite in Northern Minnesota, south of Ely. God and I played house with pine cone food and leaves for dishes. My idea, I’m pretty sure, but He talked and I talked and it was great fun. Now I call it prayer.
So some answers change and some stay the same for me.
“Many of us go through life not clear about what we want but pretty sure this isn’t it.” Janet Hagberg and Richard Leider
You can answer this in the comment section here or email me privately. I’d love to hear from you. My email is listed in the About page. Let me know.
FORK IN THE ROAD 
In order: See the World, My family, Forever, Love, People past, The rain, No longer than 5 min, The music, Choose, Hold true convictions in faith, Road trips, Smile (laugh).
Absolutely, genuinely you! You are a woman who knows herself. I’m so fortunate to know you, too! Thanks for sitting for at least 5 minutes to read and write here!
I had bought a necklace for a very special person in my life that reads on one side ” live the life you love” and “love the life you live” on the other. I just saw it recently and seems to fit. Now if I only knew the answers to your questions. They draw me in to really ponder them. What “do” I really want. Can’t wait to journal to the answers and to find out why or what makes me think a certain way. I have done many things I’ve wanted but…there’s always room for more. What does God want me to do?
I think the two answers are closely related
1. what do I want
2. what does He want
Given the strengths He gives us, I think He does care if we discover those things that draw us close to Him and more into discovering who He made us to be. Praying for you to begin the discovery!
Pingback: What I Want In Life Part 2: The 4 B’s « FORK IN THE ROAD