You have to create the life you want. No one can do it for you, and you can’t follow a ten step program. There isn’t a magic formula you can buy. The art of living is something you have to figure out for yourself.

At lunch with a friend last week, she was telling me how she felt a little off.

“It’s like I’m going in a thousand directions,” she said, “And I can’t catch my breath.”

“I know what you mean,” I said, “You have a lot on your plate.” I was trying to be supportive, and I understood what she was saying. I hear it from people every day. Many people are feeling overwhelmed with their lives.

“Between your job, kids, and home, it’s a lot to balance,” I continued.

She opened her mouth to talk, and then paused.

“Dara,” she said, “I don’t feel like I’m living my life right. I feel like I’m messing up.”

“You don’t feel happy?” I asked her.

“It’s not that,” she said, “It’s that I think I could be living better.”

We talked about it over a long lunch, and I understood what she was saying.

Spending life rushing around from one activity to the next, trying to juggle work and family responsibilities, and doing everything for everybody, is hard.

Very hard.

It’s practically impossible to enjoy the moment you’re in, when you’re constantly thinking about what you have to do next. And, before you know it, weeks have past, and you feel like you’re just going through the motions of life, but not really living.

The secret to living well, for me, is to be present. To show up to my life.

Each and every day.

I also recognize that living is an art. A skill. A craft that I constantly work on.

The more effort and energy I put into living the life I want, the more satisfied and content I am with what I’m getting. If something doesn’t feel right, I think about it, and try to figure out a different way to approach it.

If you aren’t happy with the direction your life is headed or the choices you’ve made, you can do something about it.  Each day, you get a fresh start: a new day, another twenty-four hour period, the opportunity to have a “do over.”

An artist is constantly changing and growing her work. The same holds true for life.

Mold your life into the picture you want, give yourself the freedom to figure out what direction you want to take, and enjoy the process of seeing it take shape.

You can create the masterpiece you desire, one day at a time.

Find meaning each day,

Dara