Keep going but know when to move on.

There’s that struggle that happens when you want something. An internal tussle goes on between the part of you that firmly believes that if you want something you mustn’t give up until you get it, no matter what stands in your way, and the part that says what you want is unachievable and you must recognise when you need to give up and set your mind on something that is actually attainable. More simply put, a time comes when you begin to realise that you’re fighting a losing battle and it’s better just to move on, but, the “what if?” part of you keeps saying “just one more try..”. It’s a toughie; the realistic and sensible versus the romantic and hopeful.

Of course, the struggle is different depending on what it is that you want. There are some things in life we can control, like being in the right geographical location. You’d never become an expert snowboarder if you live by the beach in sunny Spain. And for some goals, there are obvious steps we can follow to bring us closer, like gaining a qualification in order to be able to be employed in a particular job. But then there are some things that are beyond our control. We can absolutely influence other people, but unless you are an expert manipulator (which I have no desire to become), at the end of the day it’s what they want and they feel that will result in their actions. These actions may be those that tell you “it’s never going to happen” and “it’s time to give up”. In that case, really and truly, there’s nothing more you can do except be sensible, but, continue to hope and firmly stick to the conviction that what’s for you won’t pass you by.  Sometimes our little human heads and hearts want things that would never be right for us anyway and when we look back we can see just how well things worked out despite what we thought at the time.

In my opinion the best thing to always keep in mind is a ‘no regrets’ policy. In this way you’ll make the most of every second, strive for what you want and move on when it no longer becomes good for you. Take control of what you can and leave the rest to its own devices. That’ll make the struggle less annoying and the results a little sweeter and perhaps a little surprising-in a good way. Life is for living- move forward and make sure you can smile when you look back.*