This piece was written by one of the coolest gals I know. I met Meg in college my freshman year and she is full of life, Taylor Swift lyrics, and travel experiences. She is kind, hilarious, and authentic. I am excited for you to read her words, and if you’ve been struggling with the idea of “what’s next”, this will really resonate with you.
Dear Girl,
Do you remember that scene in the Notebook where Noah is standing outside the house he built for her and asks her “Would you just stop thinking about what everyone wants? Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do you want?”
I know what you’re thinking. You’ve already gone off track. You’re trying to recall the scene, contemplating if you own a copy of “The Notebook”, you’re wondering if you have wine to accompany a binge session of “The Notebook”, is it maybe on Netflix? On Hulu? Do you have Kleenex at home?
Let’s get back on track. Noah asks Allie what she wants, and I’m here to ask you the same thing. What do you want? Enunciate each word as you ask yourself. “WHAT do I want? What DO I want? What do I want? What do I WANT?” Look in the mirror or (if we’re not getting out of bed today) a front-facing camera as you do it.
What did you get as an answer? Pizza? A shower? Think a little bit more long term, chica. I’m asking not just what you WANT in the short term, I want you to tell me what FULFILLS you.
What makes you feel whole? What satisfies you? What makes life worth living?
What makes time feel like it’s standing still?
Don’t know the answers yet? It’s okay. Maybe a quick story will help.
About 6 months ago, I found airfare from Denver to Calgary for $37. Now, I’ve never been to any part of Canada before. All I knew is that Canada seemed to be a majestic land of hockey (which I love), maple syrup, poutine (French fries with gravy, and cheese curds) Justin Trudeau (mmm yeah), Justin Bieber (eh), Drake (#godsplan) , good healthcare, and trees. That’s pretty much it. I knew that I WANTED to travel, go on ADVENTURES, and see the world, and I had never been to Canada so, WHY NOT.
Hey girl, it’s okay not to know EXACTLY your greatest purpose in life when I first ask you. Or when I ask you again a second or a third time. And if you don’t, just ask yourself “What do I like?” Then make a list. Then pick one thing on that list and do something out of the ordinary with it. Surprise yourself. Come up with something crazy and out of the ordinary that you think you might like. Like vegetables? Try eating vegan for a week. Do you like running? Train for a 5K locally. Do you like music? Make some.
In Canada, I knew I wanted to live amongst the nature. I wanted to go hiking, I wanted to be independent, I wanted to eat poutine, and hear someone Canadian say “eh?”. I ended up jumping in a freezing cold lake, (or tripping and stumbling into one and laughing my ass off), hiking up a mountain and turning around before a reached the top, eating that poutine, making friends, and going to an Irish bar with some Irish girls, where we danced all night to country-western music. Life is waiting for you to go live it. But you have to do just that. You have to GO and you have to DO.
What you want is out there.
And guess what? The person who I just asked over, and over, and over what they wanted, is the EXACT same person who can get what they want. You get to be your own Ryan Gosling! You’ve just got to ACT on it. That’s right. YOU have to start pursuing what you want. Not next week. Not next year. Now. Today. If you want it, you go out there and you get it.
So get that shower, get that pizza ordered, and start doing what YOU want, because as they say on Parks and Rec “Time is money, money is power, power is pizza, and pizza is knowledge.” Just like Noah was telling Allie, don’t worry about what others may think, what others want. They aren’t you. They aren’t living your life. You don’t waste another second of your time. Because that time could be translated into more pizzas one day, and you can’t afford another second of you not following through on what you want out of life.
Don’t be Allie, just waiting around for your life to change. Actions speak louder than words. Grab a slice of that pizza you just ordered, get out there, tell the world what you want, and then do it. You get to be the master of your own destiny.
And girl, if I know anything, you’re gonna this world will be better because of it.
Dear Girl, 