I believe life can be long.

Life is long when we are going through some type of pain, discomfort, negativity, or just craziness.

However, when we are having a great time and enjoying ourselves – life seems short, and we want to pause time.

I believe we are all spiritual beings having a human experience, in which stress, fear, anxiety, worry, regret, shame, happiness, joy and love are all part of the human experience. As a matter of fact, it is okay to feel all of those emotions.

There is nothing wrong with feeling stressed because stress is how we grow (you put stress on your body in the gym). There is nothing wrong with not being happy because you will not always be happy.

You want to be fulfilled instead of happy.  

I enjoyed my 21 years of military service; yet, there were times I was not happy, but I still enjoyed those times when I was stressed, anxious, worried, and fearful.

Looking back, I would not change anything about the stress, anxiety, worry, and fears. That pain is what has made me who I am today.

Nevertheless, there is a balance where the experiences in our lives overshadow the stress, anxiety, worry, and fears. Essentially, those rough times in my past were some of the best times of my life.

Bottom line, if you want to be fulfilled, do not do what makes you happy.

I stressed about not getting promoted, moving into a leadership position, moving to a new location (overseas), and meeting new people. Essentially, those were not all happy times, but I worked hard on education, training, relationships, and reaching my goals and dreams.

I had to get out of my comfort zone, which meant doing things that did not make me happy.

Balance of Experiences

Life is about experiences that are worth sharing.

I look back on the experiences of traveling to different countries, meeting people and building relationships both personally and professionally, experiencing different cultures and foods, swimming and kayaking in the ocean, scuba diving in the ocean, climbing mountains, jumping from airplanes, and so on.

My face may not show it, but those previous experiences and many others of my 46 years on this earth overshadow any regret, worry, or stress.

Lastly, I was talking to my grandfather in the nursing home right before he passed away. I said, hey, your 100^th birthday is in September. Do you have any regrets or worries about things you should have done in the past? He looked at me as if I had said something ridiculously stupid. Without missing a beat, he shook his head, smiled, and said, “No.”

Again, I believe we are all spiritual beings having a human experience, in which stress, fear, anxiety, worry, regret, shame, happiness, joy, and love are all part of the human experience. My grandfather had regrets, worries, fears, happiness, etc..,; essentially, all of those emotions. However, his life was fulfilled by his experiences. The experiences in his life overshadowed any doubt, worry, stress, fear, etc… He lived his life to the fullest.

My grandfather was always in a good mood, and I will never forget the way his face would light up when he saw me. Even at the age of 99 his mind was sharp, he asked good questions in which I enjoyed our conversations. He will be missed.

“fulfillment is about living a deeply meaningful life, a life of purpose and satisfaction. Fulfillment is not necessarily about happiness. It is about meaning, deep meaning. It’s about one’s vision, their dreams, and living in full alignment and flow with their values.” My Grandfather had purpose and satisfaction being a World War II veteran, raising a family, and building relationships in his community.

Remember, it’s okay to be stressed, worried, fearful – as long as you are moving toward your goals and dreams. On the other hand, if you are not dreaming and setting goals, life will suck, and you will feel stuck – life will feel long!

Keeping moving, keeping dreaming, and never look back.