Designer Life

When I was just a child my parents would tell me that I could do anything I set my mind to. Now that I am an adult, have served in the military and came to realize that this is true... I've found myself for a long time in a rut unable to move. I was missing something in my life, the knowledge of what life is actually all about. So many people have different ideas and inspirations which make unique gifts that they bring into the world. What's my gift though? I was always unable to see for myself, perhaps because I am humble and do not recognize what I bring into the world.

It has taken me eight years of isolation, and then at least 5 years of counseling to become the person I am now after leaving the military to become the person I am today. Though I won't get into the details, I will say I believe that my gift is the ability to distinguish and truly understand the difference between positivity and negativity. No, I am not just talking about how to tell if something was right or wrong, it goes much, much deeper than this. My ability to distinguish between the two goes as deep as seeing every action in life either leaning more one way or the other while a gray area is still present when we are unsure of the answer.

Believe it or not, my counselor told me that the world is not black and white... to which I replied, I know, however, the gray area is for all the things we haven't done yet, or haven't finished. Society I believe hides this information from it's citizens as it is very powerful and can lead to magnificent things happening. To simplify what I am attempting to say, I will use a metaphor of a vehicle driving down the highway.

The vehicle itself symbolizes the personal self. The make and model could be anything you choose... are you a Porsche, someone whom is very fit... Or perhaps you're an old classic with your hair tied up in a ponytail behind your head. It really doesn't matter what the vehicle looks like as all of them accomplish the same goal in the end, they all get you from point A to point B in the end.

Now the road will symbolize point A and B... Perhaps this road has other paths turning off of it which lead in different directions, these are metaphorically other options that your life can take. The road can be bumpy in some points and smooth in others, much the same as life itself. This should bring hope as you can rest assured the bumps in roads will never last forever, sometimes you hit them while other moments your lucky to steer away.

So far, all is good right? You're following along as we have the vehicle and the road as well as their metaphorical meanings. However, now we're going to take a dive deeper... All vehicles have steering wheels. In this metaphorical world what will it symbolize? The direction the vehicle is driving. When I think about the road it symbolizes goals in life and the journey to get there. The steering wheel would then serve as the actions which one takes in order to follow the goals and achieve the end goal. It's important to note that the steering wheel and the road are similar however, the vehicle cannot control the road, it can control the wheel. When they are aligned things go well, and when they are not... trouble follows.

Now we'll move onto the fuel that the vehicle uses to get where it's going. When you stop to fill up many places give you a choice between diesel and ethanol, maybe power if your driving a Tesla. Your metaphorical vehicle uses fuel as well, however, it's power comes in two different varieties... either positive or negative. Both fuels can get you where you are traveling, however, they both work in opposite ways as you travel. The only important thing to note about this fuel choice you have is that you have the choice of what to use, and that it will affect those you come into contact with in the world.

So here you have it, a metaphorically designed vehicle, which stands in place for a life that you can design. It should be clear that only you can decide what you will 'drive' as you go down the road of life. Choose wisely, and steady the path using the fuel you would like. You have all the choices in the world, and although they might try, no one can ever take them from you. Drive safely! I'll see you on the road!