On the Bright Side

Life feels less like a trap when you take as much of it as possible into your own hands. Initially, I began that process subconsciously with my choice to stop eating meat. I now self-identify as a vegetarian, and I eat a vegan diet when at home. This choice was about ethics, but it also allowed me to take control of my health. Before I knew it, I was full of energy, so I started taking long walks every evening. The combination of a healthy, plant-based diet and increased physical activity has resulted in a weight loss of 25 pounds in less than two months. However, none of this was part of the goal, which was solely to stop eating meat.

At this point, I am taking active control over my life. I am entering into a phase of intense goal orientation aimed at changing my day-to-day habits, my attitude, and the long-term focus of my life. I have made my health improvements into a conscious effort, rather than a secondary consequence of another choice. In the last two to three days, I have taken active steps toward improving almost all areas of my life, including increasing my walk length, training my dog, reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people, focusing on independent intellectual development through daily reading and writing, making an appointment to volunteer, and making an appointment with someone who could very well help me land a decent paying job.

Admittedly, most of my goal-seeking actions are related to my daily life. However, I believe daily life to be of paramount importance, as it is incredibly difficult to focus on the future when you cannot even enjoy the moments around which your days revolve. In fact, I was on one of my meandering late-night walks when I had a serious epiphany about what I want from life. Success in one area often leads to success in others.

Here's the rub: I am letting go of the idea that I should be perfect. I have spent too much of my life anxiety-ridden and feeling paralyzed because I was afraid to fail. My obsession with perfection has too often prevented me from acting in ways that would have positively affected my quality of life. I refuse to wallow in my own self-doubt anymore.

I am an almost-25-year-old, Master's-degree-holding Boomerang kid, and I refuse to feel powerless any longer. My life begins NOW.