Can you believe we’re already halfway home to the finish line?  The finish line being the end of 2016.  It feels like yesterday we were celebrating the new year and here we are celebrating our nation’s independence.  Time sure flies the older you get right?

So how are those New Year’s Resolutions looking?  Are you still on track or did you fall off the wagon after the first month?  After looking back on my resolutions for 2016  (I think I made 2-3 too many but I was feeling ambitious), it looks like I’m on track for a few but have fallen off on a few as well.  From the ones that were more concrete, I’ve completed 3 total triathlons so far this year (goal was 6 for the year although I might have to revise that since I just had ankle surgery that will keep me out for at least a month).  I’ve also only read 3 books so far this year which is half of the 6 I should be on pace for.  One of the resolutions I have (sorta) started is incorporating a meditation practice in place of hitting the snooze button in the morning.  It’s something I hope to keep up for the 2^nd half of the year along with posting more frequently for this blog.  I look forward to setting new resolutions for the 2^nd half of the year and maintaining the ones I set in the beginning of the year.  Remember, it’s never too late to start something new or get back on track with something you lost motivation for.

The inspiration for this post is actually from a song I discovered a few months by a rap artist named J. Cole.  He’s not your big name artists like the Jay-z, Kanye or Drake but the message behind his songs are really uplifting and positive.  After reading an article about the meaning behind the aforementioned song, “Love Yourz ,” it really got me thinking what a blessed and amazing life I really have.  Cole told the audience at one of his concerts that he chased the American dream (the money, huge house, fancy cars, model girlfriend, etc.) everyone strives for only to realize how dull and gloomy the reality is when you actually get there.

He would talk about how people in his hometown were ‘broke as a joke,” who couldn’t even afford a ticket to his show but they would have the biggest smile on their faces because they learned to love their lives.  Loving your life, it’s something that we all hope to achieve but with all the outside influences from family, friends, the media it’s almost impossible not to compare your life to someone you know or see on tv and think “only if I had that car, that money, that fame I would be happy.”  I am definitely guilty of falling victim to the “only if that was me/that happened to me, I would be happy,” mentality.  I think it’s only human nature to compare your life to people that have more than you and wish you had what they had.

My life might not look like what I thought it would be if you asked me how it would look when I 25 but I’m constantly learning about myself, striving to be the best version of myself every day.  Learning to love your life isn’t something that happens overnight and there’s beauty in the struggle but it’s absolutely worth at the end of the day because as J. Cole says, there’s “no such thing as a life that’s better than yours.”  Happy 2^nd half of 2016 to you all and remember to love yours every day!

QOTP: “Life is ironic. It takes sadness to know what happiness is. Noise to appreciate silence. And absence to value presence.” –unknown