If you do not know what you want in life, then you have no destination and therefore are giving up your wheel of control to let others drive you.

Let’s just start right off with the lovely quote from the Cheshire Cat in Alice In Wonderland.  When Alice is questioning which way to go, the cat appears and answers “That depends where you want to go.  If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

I love that so many profound lessons are hidden (yet in plain sight) in so many movies!

Let’s take this one day at a time.  Literally… think of your day yesterday.  What happened?  Did you have a plan for the day, or did the day just take you wherever it happened to go?  (Sometimes, even when we have a plan, the day will still steer us in another direction that is out of our control, but that’s for another conversation).

On the evenings in which I give no thought to the next day ahead, I wake up having no clue what the day has in store for me.  Sure I might have a general idea of things that I’m going to do (eat breakfast, be with my kids, do school with my kids, lunch, dinner, bed….. just the usual routine), but the feeling that I wake up with is a very neutral, routine-ish feeling.  I don’t recall feeling much at all actually.  But if I had to name something, I’d say I feel normal.  I feel typical.  I feel bored.  I feel ordinary.  I feel unmotivated.

Then on the flip side….

When I plan out my day, the night before, I wake up knowing exactly what I’m going to do.  I want to start doing that more because I love the feelings I get! 

I feel prepared.  I feel confident.  I feel sure.  I feel like I know what I’m doing.  I feel like I’m going to accomplish a lot.  I feel ready.  (By the way, all of those feelings are felt in the “driver’s seat”!)

If we turn that day into a week, what does that look like?

When I set time aside on Sunday, and plan my week, I am able to do more things I want to do!  But if I don’t make a plan, once the week gets going, it’s like there’s no slowing it down, and before I know it, I have only done the bare necessities and missed my chance for the things I WANT.

Add 4 weeks together, and you get a month… and after 12 months you get a year.  The years will come and go no matter what you do.  What is it that you want to do with them?

When you combine all the days/weeks/months/years/decades of your past, what do you see?  When you look at tomorrow/next week/next month/next year/10 years from now…  What do you see?

Do you see someone with a plan?  Do you see someone who knows what they want?  Do you see love, joy, and LIFE?  If not, you are not alone.  I was once in a place of wandering in circles, not knowing or caring which way I went.  I was a little Alice. 

Yes, I had my “straight and narrow” path, of living the gospel of Jesus Christ, but there was not really anything else.  I didn’t see where I fit into my own life.  What did I want?  What did I matter?  Being so immersed in taking care of other people, I suppose I just lost sight of myself.  Having a family to attend to, kept me busy enough, and it was hard to ask anyone to help me with my duties so I could get out for a bit.

I realize now that for so long, I didn’t know what I wanted in life because I believed that I couldn’t have what I wanted.  And what’s the point in wanting something, if you can’t have it anyway?  Perhaps it was easier not to know I wanted anything at all.  To finally realize this took a lot of help.

I have dug deep into my soul and peeled off so many debilitating layers with the help of my friend Lori.  She is a certified Rapid Eye Tech/Life Coach, who has been helping me for years now.

With her help, I came to realize that there are a LOT of things I want to do, and I CAN do them ALL!!  Not that it would be reasonable to do them all at once, but I can plan and add them in wherever and whenever I want.  And I’m not talking about huge dreams or vacations.  I’m talking about things that I could implement into my life immediately!  Here are some of the “everyday things” that I want to do that can add magic to my day!

• I want to take voice lessons!

• I want to watercolor!

• I want to play the guitar and ukulele!

• I want to read more fiction!

• I want to go on walks outside!

• I want to take my kids on dates for one-on-one time!

• I want to spend quality time with Tyler!

• I want to play and be present with my whole family!

• I want to go to the temple and spend as much time as I please in the celestial room!

• I want to roam Hobby Lobby with no time constraints!

• I want to do lunch/dinner with my mom/sister/girlfriends!

• I want to write poetry!

• I want to intentionally create!

• I want to fill my life with things I love!

• I want to have JOY!

What about you?  Do you know what you desire?  Get out a notebook and make your own list!  Without knowing what you want, you will never be able to have it.  Take some time to figure it out.

What brings you joy?  What brings you peace?  What is your soul calling for?  What do you want? 

When you think of tomorrow, what do you want it to look like?  Do you want to experience JOY tomorrow?  In what way do you want to make that happen?  Is there something you have always loved, maybe a talent or skill you’ve seen others do, but thought you didn’t have what it takes?  Perhaps you were right, in thinking that you don’t have what it takes to bust out a masterpiece on your first try, but that doesn’t mean you can’t LEARN, practice, and develop what it takes!  The truth is, you DO have what it takes to learn ANYTHING. 

So what’ll it be? 

What lessons do you want to sign up for?  Or maybe the self-help route will work better for you, so –what lessons do you want to look up on YouTube? 

What do you want the relationships in your life to look like?  What fun thing are you going to do to enhance those associations? 

What relaxes you and brings peace to your soul?

What brings joy to your heart? 

What do you WANT?

Whatever it is, you can do it!  You can have it!  You CAN live a life full of wonder and FUN!  The only catch is that………..

 You have to make a decision and take action. 

I know that in a busy life, those 2 things can seem impossible.  But remember what they say,

Impossible is just saying “I’m possible”.

And it IS possible for you, right now, to add something lovely to your life.  I would love to help you brainstorm if you find it hard to fit something in.

In preparing to launch this blog, I have spent every spare second getting posts written, and the website working, but I have wanted to take my kids on dates for so long that I decided to take my daughter out regardless of how busy I was.  We went for a walk, and at every corner we took turns choosing which way to go (left, right, straight, or turn around).  It was so fun wandering all around the neighborhood with her, and very refreshing to be outdoors for an extended period of time (I don’t get out much in the winter).  We walked for about an hour and had a great time chatting and enjoying nature together.

It was a testimonial to me, how possible it is to do whatever you want –no matter how busy you are.

You get to choose how you spend your time.  You don’t need a whole list of things, just pick one thing you want to do and do it!  It’s never too late to bring more joy into your life!

I’m always curious to hear your thoughts… What is it that you want to do?  Do you have an experience with this?  Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!  Every little tip is helpful for others! 

Sending light and love,

Kayleen

SDG