SHE SAID: The Grass is Always Greener

I heard a phrase tonight that sunk in so deep and is ever so true...

"life happens while you are busy planning it"

This is so true. When do things ever go like you plan them? It's like we spend so much time planning out our futures and what we need to do that we miss out on what is going on now.

I can remember always having a dream... when I was a teenager I wanted to own an advertising company and be a powerful business woman. I didn't care about getting married, having kids. I dreamt of growing older so I could begin my journey towards the top. I would move away to open a company... I would work late nights or whatever it took to get to the top.

I studied advertising, web design, did internships... before I knew it college was over.

And it hit me... WHEN IN LIFE DO YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET UP AND GO ANYWHERE YOU HAVE DREAMED OF? NOW!

So I packed my bags and moved to the big city of Los Angeles. Coming from a small town in Kentucky, I was a southern belle with big dreams. I had always wanted to move to California. After all of my hard work I decided I would live life and take some time off. So for the first time in 10 years, i stopped working in a corporate environment & just lived.

I did freelance web design. I worked concerts and movies. I drove to the beach in my wrangler with the top down. I played guitar every morning on my rooftop deck while I had a cup of tea. Oh and the mountains! I would hike them everyday! The freedom was amazing... until the bills came.

I could get by on numerous jobs, but after awhile I needed a little more stability. So the worrying began. The last 8 months I was in Cali, I spent thinking about how I could of, should of & would have been on my way to the top if I hadn't have taken time off. So I started working at a PR firm. This was fun for a bit, but the people there were a little crazy.

I liked California, but I started getting the itch to move again. What else is out there? What am I capable of? So the next few months I spent researching my new home. I visited Chicago & fell in love. I didn't know anyone in there, but the people seemed great and you could just feel the opportunity when you visited the city. I felt like there were challenges waiting for me to overcome and if i didn't like it, i could always move somewhere else in a couple of years. The last few months in LA I don't even remember.... I was just counting down the days to head across the country.

I have been in Chicago for a couple of years and have worked my way into a great position at an advertising agency. I have become the powerful corporate woman I had dreamt of at a younger age... yet the simplicity of life while I was playing the guitar in Cali still circles in my mind. How did I leave fabulous friends in such a warm, fun city?

As I work hours and hours and hours, I think about how I used to care less about having a family of my own and realize now that this is a special gift in life... continuing to grow. What is more important the money or the friends, family and things in life that make it worth living? For me it is life. I would rather make less money than to miss out on the important things that you can never get back. I know I won't stay in this corporate role forever, my priorities have changed and will continue to change. But, I do know that I made a promise to myself to never have a job that I didn't love, life is too short. So as I change and as I grow, I will continue to follow my dreams and my heart where ever they may lead me.

I guess my point is...to not miss out on the things going on today because you can't stop anticipating your next move. Travel ANYWHERE you possibly can because you never know how many tomorrows will come. Enjoy whatever makes you happy, even if it is only for a short moment. And remember that no matter how much you gain, there is always something else we want, so don't take for granted the things you have today because they may not last forever.