On making the best decision that you can right now and enjoying what you have…
“Just do what feels right now. Unknowns are a just a part of life. I don’t ever really sweat it if things don’t happen the way I want them to. There’s nothing you can do. I think you have to make yourself happy on a daily basis, figure out what’s important and go with it. My life is nothing like I thought it would be after I graduated college. It’s like that movie, “Up in the Air”. My advice would be don’t be like the 20-something woman in “Up in the Air’. That was like a snapshot of what not to think. My There are just so many ways things could play out. Are you kidding me? The older woman in the movie is just looking at her like she’s crazy.” — 40-something, wife, mom of 3, retired business woman, Chicago, IL
Excerpt from “Up in the Air” – on how not to be in the right now and focusing on what you don’t have…
“I thought I’d be engaged by now. I thought by 23, I’d be married, maybe have a kid, corner office by day, entertaining at night. I was supposed to be driving a Grand Cherokee by now. Sometimes it feels like, no matter how much success I have, it’s not going to matter until I find the right guy. I could have made it work, he really fit the bill, you know. White collar, 6’1, college grad, loves dogs, likes funny movies, brown hair, kind eyes, works in finance but is outdoorsy. I always imagined he’d have a single syllable name like Matt or John or Dave. In a perfect world, he drives a 4 runner and the only thing he loves more than me is his golden lab. And a nice smile.” – 23 year old character
Like this 40-something woman above said, this kind of thinking is a recipe for disaster. You may have these ideas in your head about what life is going to be like but you can pretty much count on the fact that it won’t play out that way. One 20-something I talked to this about said that instead of sitting around being disappointed about what she hadn’t achieved by 25, she was going to go out and start living her life. That’s pretty good advice from a 20-something too!