growth

Our calendars are another year older and so am I. Having a birthday so close to the beginning of the year, acknowledging this time as one for recognizing growth is unavoidable. But, like Valentine's Day, why should certain mindsets and emotions be reserved for particular dates?

I've been growing over the past year as much as I am sitting here and writing about it. Perhaps more so, because it was happening independently from my conscious thought. Too often an awareness of something hinders its influence. Our culture is one of control. Everyone wants to have authority over their own happiness, but more often than not we are unqualified to be completely in command of something so fallible. Instead of believing that we have the power to shape our contentment, we should believe that we don't need to wield that power so absolutely.

But there's a difference between letting go and giving up. Stand up for something you believe in. Take a chance, if it could lead to something that you want. That's how to take control of your own happiness. No one is ever without the ability to instigate the change they wish to see in themself. The only way to get anywhere is to know where you want to be. Of course, then you have to get moving. You're not going to get anything by just sitting there.

So, there's another year behind me. I usually feel my age well before the date of my birth. Maybe that's the result of trying too hard to get somewhere, before being sure if it's the direction I want to head in. It's never too late to change your aim, though.