3 Reflections On My 31st Birthday
Wishing everyone a year of health, happiness and meaning
“OMG!!! What is that?? A grey hair!”. Just in time for my 31st birthday, I received a gift, a grey hair. Maybe this hair was a call for me to embrace my age. :) So for the second time on my birthday, instead of focusing on how further ahead I should be, I’ll look back at lessons I have learned:
1. Who you are, counts more than what you do
Very few people have a career that makes them unique and very well known. Most jobs and positions, in fact, can be done by many people. What makes you unique is who your are as a person in that position; Your unique aura and light. That can’t be replaced.
Even top executive jobs like a COO, CEO etc, are positions with their own tasks and responsibilities. Of course being talented and professional is important, but it’s the actual people and their values behind these roles that count more.
2. Only you can be the mother of your children
How to find purpose in life? Be the friend/parent/spouse only you can be.
Very few careers fill the void of purpose. Of course we should strive for a body of work that provides purpose and meaning to us. For most people family provides a very strong sense of purpose and meaning. Any role, even a CEO of a tech company are replaceable, but no one can replace mommy,daddy or a best friend. Only you can fill that specific role.
3. Make plans, but leave room for G-d to make plans for you on the side
As humans, it is important for us to make plans and set goals for ourselves. This drives us and helps us move forward. However, when things don’t go our way, we tend to fixate and are convinced that we know what’s best for us.
This isn’t always the case.
In a lot of areas in life, we don’t always know what will come, which opportunities will arise or what the ultimate plan for us is. Leave room for these surprises, let yourself be guided. Looking back at your life, sometimes it’s easier to see how certain deviations/setbacks ultimately led us well.
Like my grandma used to say in other words in Yiddish:
“Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht”.
“My inner voice said — your plans are in the way of god’s plan… The moment I surrendered my desire to be a mother, I felt taken care of. I knew that the Universe was guiding me in the perfect direction, time and order. Trusting the path of the universe gave me freedom and happiness in the midst of uncertainty.”
~Gaby Bernstein, The universe has your back
