Some days I feel like Mary Poppins. Not because I have a desire to wear crazy hats and dance with chimney sweeps, but because I understand perfectly how she feels in that moment when she senses the wind change and she knows it's time to move on. Enough already with this crazy life, it's time to pack everything in the carpet bag (oh, for one of those!) and set sail for the next adventure!
As someone who lives for those moments, it's truly annoying then to be asked:
What do you want that you already have?
Seriously? Let's face it, if Mary and I had it all, would we feel the need to open our umbrellas and sail off into the great blue sky?
This question comes as part of The Burning Question series, posed by Danielle LaPorte, writer, entrepreneur and fire starter. As a long time follower of Danielle's writing, I've come to appreciate that questions like these are worth taking the time to answer.
At a first reading, that question feels like something you would hear from people who say things like 'Passion is a luxury'; people who tell you that you should be content with what you have, people who I talk to for five seconds and immediately start to feel guilty for having big dreams, and wild plans. To the contrary though, her question goes to the heart of what a friend used to call BHAGs - Big Hairy Audacious Goals. It's about finding the places where those dreams/goals/plans are already taking root. Instead of looking at what you don't have, it's finding what's already there in your life waiting to be amplified.
Over the weekend I was talking to a friend who has just started a blog. He wants the blog to be great and he wants to write a book and then, and...and he's frustrated... But you know what? Six months ago he didn't have a blog, or readers, or plans for posts... And now he does. So often it feels like you're starting from scratch when really you're already well on your way. At the top of my want list is "Writing Empire". Some days that seems like an far off dream, but taking time to appreciate the couple of books under my belt, articles being published around the place, and the plan for the future, makes it all seem that much more achievable (and enjoyable).
So yes, when the wind changes I'll have my umbrella open ready to catch the breeze, and I'll make sure I take time to be grateful for (and proud of) each and every rooftop along the way.
