Some of the most valuable lessons I have learned stemmed from letting go of the need I used to have to control everything.  To live a perfect, regimented life and by doing so, I’d never get hurt.  Right?

Wrong.  Over time I’ve learned that it actually hurt me more to live in my perfectionistic bubble.

I have learned to let go of assumptions and expectations. It has helped me to be less disappointed when my visions of how I think things “should be” don’t play out as I expected.

Things don’t always turn out how we want them to. People don’t always do the right things. Dreams don’t always come true.

I accept that life is not perfect. And neither am I.

But no matter what happens, I have found peace in knowing that difficulties play an equal part in our greater good. We may not always get what we want, but we ALWAYS get what we need. It may not always be how we pictured it, but it is always how HE pictured it.

People will often let you down. Take those experiences for what they are. Use them as stepping-stones to the ultimate appreciation for the people who always have your back.

Value differences and difficulties as lessons needed to be learned to mold you into who you are becoming. If we never experienced hardship, we would not know the beauty of smooth sailing.

Let go of the need to try to change people or situations. Love them for who they are, flaws and all. Don’t love them for who they “could” be or how you want them to be.

If someone is bringing negativity to your life, cut them loose.  Their spot in your life and, more importantly, in your mind is only as valid as your choice to keep them there.

Sometimes people and situations come across our paths solely for the purposes of teaching us how to LET GO.  If we never learn how to let go, then we always stay the same.

Living is not meant to be some silly holding pattern.  It’s about learning and growing.

Life isn’t easy. It wasn’t made to be easy.  It was made to be a series of events and obstacles that eventually provide us with enough experience and wisdom to grow us into the person we were meant to be.

The challenges are there to provide us with the knowledge we need in order to apply it to what truly makes us happy.  The happiness potential for our life is carefully crafted by the effort we make in absorbing ALL the moving pieces of our journey.

I share these ideas because they are fundamental lessons of my journey.  If it were not for the man upstairs teaching me these things, I would have never understood the potential I possess for helping others.

Potential means having the ability to develop into something in the future.  What does your potential look like?  Are you taking necessary steps to be all that you were meant to be?  Do you even see your potential?  Or are you too busy holding on to what you thought things should look like?

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”  – Winston Churchill