Round and round we go with no purpose, form or function to our lives. There’s no direction or structure. Which is fun, until it’s not.

Yes, of course I wish I had more balance when I was younger. However, I didn’t and there’s nothing I can do about that now. But I can make a change for the future.

I can make a change for my life moving forward. More importantly, I can teach my kids about truly living and making the most out of life. That way they don’t make the same mistakes I did.

The best time to start was yesterday, and the next best time is today. So, today I’ve started investing in my life.

I didn’t just start this journey today, but I’m just now making a purposeful decision to take control. To live life purposefully instead of going through the day-to-day motions. To live a life by design. Not by default.

I’ve been through a number of ups and downs in my life. I was an oopsie baby and my parents divorced when I was one year old.

Throughout my entire life I haven’t had much of a relationship with my father.

My mom remarried when I was three, had my sister and then divorced when I was nine. Like most divorces are, it was terrible. Quick but a lot of fighting followed.

My mom remarried again at thirteen and is still with my stepfather today and hopefully forever.

I never had a lot of money. Until my adult years and even then, didn’t have true financial comfort until I was in my mid thirty’s.

I’ve owned businesses that were successes and failures. Even the successful businesses feel like failures at times. I’ve been down to $500 in my bank account and also been on a path towards financial freedom.
 

I’ve experienced quite the roller coaster which has made me who I am today.

I’ve always lived my life the way that I wanted to. As a child, my mom’s most frequent advice was, “you only live once.” She was telling me this long before YOLO was a thing. When I came to her for advice, I’d get, “you only live once.” Ok, great, mom, but what should I do?

Me: “Should I spend my birthday money on this bike?”

Mom: “You only live once!”

Me: “Should I buy this car?”

Mom: “You only live once!”

Me: “Should I go on this vacation?”

Mom: “You only live once!”

Other advice was given and she also suggested planning for the future, but she always ended with, “you only live once.” There’s a balance and that’s the struggle. 

For the majority of my life, I’ve YOLO’d. I’ve done incredible things, made decent money, went on vacations, and overall had fun. But I never followed a plan for the future.

I was always living in the moment. Planning is tedious and my 20’s self wasn’t ready for a plan. I was just “kind of” prepared in my early 30’s. But here I am in my 40’s, and it seems necessary.

If you’re in your 20’s and 30’s, take note. You’ll be here too, so make the most of your time.

I didn’t live as healthy as I should have. I was always skinny, so eating right and caring for my body wasn’t top of mind. I’ll eat, drink, and exercise when I want, and it’ll be all good. Not anymore!

I didn’t watch my finances because I was living in the moment. I usually had a small business that I was putting money back into, so “I didn’t have money to invest.” What an excuse for me to be lazy with my money. Or at least not purposeful with it.

I definitely wasn’t truly living in large portions of those years. There were many years when life just got boring. It was the same repetitive thing every week. Just the same happy hours, nights out, brunches, etc., over and over. Damn, I wish I could have that time back. It was like Groundhog Day.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had a great life and a lot of fun. But I could’ve done it better.

Now is the time to make a change. Now is the time to take over your life and make it what you want. 

“It’s time to move on, it’s time to get going. What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing. But under my feet, baby, grass is growing. It’s time to move on, time to get going.”

Disclosure: I am a licensed realtor with KW Metro Center in Virginia and D.C.