The things we want to be - and what we are

   I was thinking about everything I wish I could be today. From big to small; life goals and little things about myself. And I realized that there are a million things we wish we could be. And every parent tells their child "you can be what ever you want to be". There is no way to say this without sounding like a pessimist, but the reality is that there are many things we will never be.

    I wish that I could stay more organized. I'm great at getting organized but my fault comes with keeping things that way. I have a tendency to get busy and things get tossed, not put back where they belong, so on and so forth. I also wish that I could get in the habit of flossing my teeth. I can't tell you how many times I've started and not been able to form the habit. I wish I didn't procrastinate so much. I wish I could be truly confident instead of just faking it. I wish I could care less about what people think and more about my own needs. I wish I could talk less and/or more quietly. I wish I could be smarter. I wish I could be more beautiful. I wish I could learn to accept compliments better. I wish I could live free of pain. I wish I could be a fitness trainer to the stars, or an interior designer or a singer. And so on and so forth. But the truth is I may never be some of these things. There's really no way to tell which ones, it's all by trial and error. Some of these things I will achieve, and I'll do so with great satisfaction and joy. And none of them will happen unless I at least try. So while I accept the reality that I am what I am and that to an extent I can never be anything more, I'm also not going to let that stop me from at least trying.

    I think trying is the important part. We don't try things because we are afraid of failure. But without trying we have already failed. Failure to try should be considered far worse than failing to do something. If in the end we were never meant to succeed at something we tried at least we know. And when we do succeed, and we will; it will be satisfying to know we took a risk, we worked hard, and it was worth it.