Living "The Dream" Isn't All Rainbow And Daisies

So I’m living my dream and guess what…life is still 50/50.

50% fun, amazing, adventurous and blissful and 50% challenging, annoying and frustrating.

Say what?! 🤷‍♀️ I know, right?! It's curious. It is tempting to think life should be all rainbows and daisies when you're living the dream.

You can use whatever percentage breakdown you want or think life should be - 60/40 or 70/30, but the point is still the same.

The “buckets of 50” might be slightly different types of “amazing” and “challenging”, but the way they feel in your body are familiar. Light and alive when things are more “positive” and heavy and tense when they are more “negative.”

In case you missed it, we recently moved to Sydney, Australia, after living in NYC for 16 years. I’m LOVING the picturesque beaches and coastal walks, the relaxed laid back vibes, and new restaurants to explore. It is such a delight to discover new people, neighborhoods and ways of living.

AND, there’s still life’s everyday “stress” to deal with. Figuring out what I’m allergic to here, driving daily all over town on the left side amongst crazy drivers, finding a house and furnishing it, signing up for local insurance policies, and figuring out what to do with our limited trash and recycling pick-up schedule…etc.

My point is, we can achieve our goals and dreams, and life is still full of challenges (just maybe new ones…). We can allow it to bring us down and mean some kind of failure, creating further negativity and tension in our bodies by stewing about it for too long, overeating to deal with the discomfort, or over-drinking to numb it all.

Or we can just remember that such is life. It is part of the human experience. We are going to have ups and downs no matter where we are in life. 50/50 is part of the journey. What matters is how we work our way through the challenging 50%.

I’m constantly reminding myself to slow down, take deep breaths, be curious, simplify when I can, have a sense of humor about it, and ask for help when I need it.

I invite you to do the same this week.

Notice where you might be indulging in a pity party, dramatizing a challenge, or overplaying the victim card. Sure, it is a challenge and it is tough. Feel the feelings but don’t indulge in them. Just notice them, slow down, and take as many deep breaths as you need. Get curious and consider dropping the unimportant things. Try inserting humor into the situation and ask for help if needed. It is a sign of strength, not weakness.

And most importantly, notice the good stuff. Celebrate and savor it. Don’t let the challenges overshadow it.