It's a straight forward enough question but one that we sometimes don't like answering. Not because it is difficult to give a response, we can all do that, but difficult because we don't like to admit to ourselves that actually our life isn't where we want it to be and doesn't seem to be heading that way either.
It seems to me that as we grow older, our ambitions, prospects and dreams (for quite a few of us of us (including me)) become less and less a reality, and we find ourselves following a path that we weren't ever planning on taking or expecting. This isn't always a bad thing because as people grow older it is quite common for them to change their minds about where they would like to end up.
Unfortunately quite a few people don't go for what they want through fear of not making it. For example: A person may want to become a doctor but is fearful of how competitive it is to become one, and also has doubts about getting the grades and qualifications. So instead, they change their goal and decide to still go into something to do with medics but something that they feel have a better chance at getting. It's a shame that not everyone can end up where they might want but unless you try your hardest how are you going to know?
Sometimes people get stuck in a rut that they can't quite budge from and end up staying in a position that they rather wouldn't be in. Getting out of a predicament like this always feels harder than that when you were first getting into it, and that is because normally that is true.
I have heard many times by different people that each of our lives are on a road that we can't change - a pre-ordained path that we will follow, so we need to make the best of the situation and accept that we won't be able to change the predicament, nor should we try to. Don't let people tell you that you can't because you can. I'm not telling you to be discontent with your life, because you shouldn't, but I am saying that you shouldn't let people tell you that you can't change your life.
So take a look at your life at the moment. Make note of where you are and where it looks like you are heading, make a comparison to where you would like to be...is it heading that way? If it is then that is great, good for you (not to be taken as sarcasm), if not, then are you going to do something about it.
The reason why I thought I would write about this is because I've been doing some self-assessment as of recently. It's been something that has been accumulating over some time now, and recent events have led me to the decision that I don't want to be in my current situation in the future. That's not to say that I am unhappy with my current situation, in fact I regard myself very fortunate, but when I think long-term, I know I want a different situation, mostly by furthering my relationship with God.
When coming to this decision I asked myself different questions, but the one that is most commonly asked (and with good reason too) is "what do you want to be doing in 10 years time?" Even asking "what do you want to be doing in 5 years time" works just as well. Do you want to be doing the same thing you are doing now? Do you want to have reached your goal? It's a simple question yet also a revealing one, it brings to the forefront of your mind your opinion of where you think your life is going to be.
For me personally my answer, as I said above, is no I don't want to be doing some of the things I am doing now in the future, so I have made some changes that I'm hoping pay off. I don't intend on stopping this website though and am going to keep going with it for the foreseeable future.
A common trap that people fall into is that they expect their life to end up where they want it to be overnight and give up if it takes time. The reality is however, that changing your life will take time and requires you to be patient and change it bit by bit, until eventually you are where you want to be. Consistency is the key - you need to stay consistent with the change(s) you have made.
Our decisions reflect our life, they shape our life. From what we do for a living to what we eat, they encompass everything. Whether to go with the flow or against it, it's up to us. I'm sure many of you can remember decisions that you have made in the past that turned out to be bad ones, and I'm also sure that many of you can think of good decisions you've made in life too.
You are the only one who can make the decision to change or to stay where you are now. If you want to change then you will need to make that decision to change and not wait for change to find you because it won't.
Remember that it's not too late to make a change to your life, it's down to you and your resolve.
"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight."
Jim Rohn