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“Friends don’t let friends lead ordinary lives”
- Martin Brossman

Looking in the Mirror

Before putting pen to paper, it is a good idea to take a good long look in the mirror. What you will see is a face you cannot see anywhere else. Even if you are an identical twin, you will be looking at someone with a different mind and unique set of experiences. There is no reason that the person standing before you should lead an ordinary life or pattern a life after some fictitious character.

Lessons and Thoughts to Examine

Like most of us, you were reared by parents who molded you, teachers who taught you, and peers who influenced you to be what they thought you should be. They all meant well and, in many cases, had much wisdom to share. The hopes and fears of the significant people in our lives become entwined with ours until we sometimes have trouble segregating the two.

In addition, many of us get caught up in day-to-day activities; life planning is the last thing on our agendas. For most of us, we spend more time planning an annual vacation than we do in looking at the totality of our lives and how we want to live them.

Deciphering Your Own Voice and Taking Charge

The reason it is important to make the distinction between your voice and others is because the person in the mirror will have all the benefits and consequences of the decisions you make. There is no one else in your life who will have to “pay the band” for your life's rhythmic choices the way you will. One of the hardest things about leading a life that is most meaningful to you is deciphering and expressing your voice among the many that are playing in your head.

Making time for yourself and taking charge of the planning process is essential. No one else is in charge of your life and no one else can really know your dreams and desires. Only you can take time to examine your life and determine how you want to live it.

Removing Barriers to Open Thoughts and Dreams

Removing the barriers to open thoughts and dreams may be some of your greatest challenges. With conscious effort and choice, these barriers may be eliminated. These rules keep us from seeing beyond where we are now. Identification of our own rules gives us the opportunity to decide to keep them, modify them, or even delete them to make room for other activities and relationships that make our lives more fulfilling.