Do you ever get up in the morning and absolutely dread the plans you have for the day? Don’t feel like going THERE? Attending THAT meeting? Being with THOSE people?

We all have to do things we don’t want to do. It’s just part of life. However, if you dread getting out of bed each day, it might be time to make some changes.

The secret is to do most of what you want to do, put up with the things you have to do, and truck on.

I hear myself telling my kids almost everyday, “Life isn’t perfect and you can’t always do what you want to do.” I think my children are tired of hearing me say this.

As adults, we know this is true. However, we have the freedom to make changes in our lives, if we don’t feel like we’re on the right track. And if you’ve notice you don’t want to get out of bed each morning, and start your day, that’s a pretty good signal you aren’t on the right track. 

Right before school was dismissed for summer break, my daughter, Avi, had a countdown on her phone. It was a clock that kept track of the exact amount of time she had left before school got out, and summer started. She had a deadline. She knew when “freedom” would begin.

But as adults, it doesn’t work that way.

Most of us get settled into a job, a routine, and responsibilities, and we just stay. We don’t have an end date or time, and before we know it, years have gone by, and we never stopped to really look at what we’ve been doing.

You have to pay attention. If you wake up and dread the day, before you even get out of bed, it might be time to make some changes.

It’s not easy to make changes. Sometimes it’s painful, anxiety provoking, and can be met with resistance. And sometimes, your desire to change might not be met head on with the approval you want from those around you.

Sadly, there aren’t any tests we can take to tell us if we’ve made the “right” decisions in life. Wouldn’t that be nice? Scored a 70 on a “life test?” It must be time to make some changes. Earned an 85? Congratulations, you must be happy.

Instead, you just have to trust your gut, and listen to your heart.

Take the time to ask yourself if you’re happy with where you are and what you’re doing with your life. If you aren’t, the good news is, you can fix it.

But only if it’s important to you. After all, it’s just your life we’re talking about.

Find meaning each day,

Dara