You can only start from today

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A while ago, I published a blog called, “Starting from today,” in which I prescribed that we shouldn’t wait for milestone moments like New Year’s or our birthdays to make changes in our life, if there is a change to be made, we should start from today.

Well, today there is another thought that I would like to share with you. And that is, that we can only start from where we are today. We can’t go back in time and start investing earlier, have chosen a different path, or left a toxic situation sooner. We can only operate from where we are today, no matter what the circumstances are. The trouble is, I think this traps some people. “Well I’m already a year into the program… We already printed the wedding invitations… I’ve already missed out when the market prices were lower…” etc. But just because we’ve invested time into something, or made a commitment, or didn’t jump at the chance when we first had it yesterday, acting today is still going to be better than waiting until tomorrow. The longer we wait to make a change we know we need to make, the deeper we dig ourselves into that hole, and the harder it is for us to climb our way out.

Acceptance. That is what I am working on right now. Accepting where I am and the choices that have led me here. And one element of that that is really crucial, is the understanding that all the choices that led me here? That was me doing the best I could at the time. That was me doing what I wanted to do at the time. And while I am currently struggling with comparing myself to others who may seem farther along than me in one, glaringly specific area of life, I can’t and won’t deny or regret the fact that I have been so, so fortunate to have been able to take advantage of so many opportunities over the years. I have literally been able to see the world, and I am continuing to do so. I have met incredible people who I never would have been able to cross paths with otherwise. And I am now using all the lessons I’ve learned in this time to create a canon of content that I can share with others who want to do the same. I simply would not be able to do that if I hadn’t invested my time and energy into my travels.

Where I am approaching a canyon that I have to build a bridge across is that my priorities are changing. While I used to crave the next destination, jumping on a plane with very little notice and figuring it out as I went, now I am looking to build a home, put down my roots, to cultivate my community around me. I am slowing down, and appreciating that I have found what for many years I was traveling around looking for: a place to call home, and also a person who would feel like home, no matter where we were. My friend once described home that way to me, and I didn’t know what it meant until I felt it myself. Now that I have found that, there is no letting go. There is only moving forward, down this new path that was cleared just in the nick of time, just when I was wondering if it would ever come along.

So I can’t look back with regret over not having better prepared for the life I’m living now. Because I was busy then, living the life that I had in front of me. And I am happy to say that I really lived it well. But I am also learning my lessons, and now, starting from today, I can better prepare for what is coming next. Waiting until tomorrow and dwelling on the past won’t get me anywhere, but getting up and making progress towards the things that matter to me will get me even just one step closer towards achieving my dreams. And even one step is closer than I was yesterday.

love,

greer