Working Towards The Life You Want, Even When It Means Deviating From The Plan

Looking at my life so far, all 27 years on this roller coaster, I sometimes feel weathered by the journey, mentally feeling more like 27 going on 47 than my actual age. We go through so much in our lives on a daily basis, and the time really does seem to fly.

I feel as though I am constantly struggling with the responsibilities I cannot ignore and the lingering passions I cannot quiet.

As young adults, we are expected to be building the framework for our lives and using the tools given to us to create a stable and secure future.

It's overwhelming as it is, just trying to check everything off the list each day, but it's almost blinding to then try to incorporate some additional headspace amidst the daily grind.

We are borderline robotic; we wake and operate each day in a very systematic manner. Few of us, at this point in our lives, see the practical value in finding the time to dream.

We push forward and upward, moving towards our end goals, all aligned neatly within the blueprints we have designed for ourselves.

We have little time to spare and minimal room for error; it's no wonder so many people create a life for themselves, wake up one morning late into their years and crash.

We find ourselves with mid-life crises, divorce, depression and a sense of great void -- all effects of a life half-lived.

Yet we look at so many of these people and wonder why. So many of them seem to be living the dream with a nice house, seemingly solid marriage, healthy kids, stable job and weekends at the cottage. So, what went wrong?

It's possible that somewhere along the way, we forgot to dream. We forgot to take the time to shut everyone and everything out and just reflect on whether or not we were truly happy; whether or not we feel as though the direction in which we are headed is really for us.

So many of us will spend these years of our lives putting in the work to achieve our goals. We will sacrifice sleep and save those extra dollars.

We will do what is expected of us and march steadily toward the lives we think we want.

Our focus becomes troubled when we apply it to that about which we aren't truly passionate. We are constantly growing and changing, and our plans and goals need constant tweaking to stay in line with who we are.

There is no recipe for happiness, but prioritizing self-reflection in your day and leaving room to dream up new goals and ambitions is a start.

There is no time like the present to work for what you want, but now is also the time to familiarize yourself with who you are and the ever-evolving person you are becoming.

As your passions and dreams change, so too should your plan. Staying on one track with no deviations just isn't realistic at such a time of growth in our lives.

Whatever ambitions you have for yourself, you should do everything you can to ensure they are truly what you want. There is little benefit in working towards a life you can't genuinely see yourself living.

Half the fun of getting where we want to be is the trial and error. Reworking the plan as you go along only means you are staying in sync with who you are and who you think you will someday be.

Never limit yourself to the first draft. In the story of your life, there should be many rewrites, endless editing and several drafts made. It's worth the wasted ink to come out on the other side with a story worth reading.

Photo Courtesy: We Heart It