“‘Cause There’s A Million Things To Be, You Know That There Are….”

Cat Stevens said it best. There are a million things to be. This inspiration came to me the other day. It is amazing how little hints of wisdom come to us in our day to day lives, oftentimes without us even realizing it. Only until we are receptive to it will we be able to notice them, because they are all around us, all the time, waiting to be noticed. As I was driving in my car thinking about the shocking reality that in a few short months I will be twenty years old. Yes, I know that to some this sounds ancient and to most it sounds inexplicably young. Anyhow, to me it sounds new, different, exciting, and anticipatory all at the same time. So as I drove, I thought about what I envision my life to look like over the next ten years (afterall, they do say that your 20’s are a pretty defining decade!), and Cat Stevens “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” came on through the car radio. I don’t know who was listening to me think, but it was as if the Universe knew I needed to hear that song at that very moment. 

Current times that we are all facing right now are enough to teach all of us this important realization: life is incredibly short and fragile. Truly, our opportunity to live our best, most exciting life is right here in the now. And sometimes, life can feel long and daunting and overwhelming too. But what I have come to notice is that the moments when life is feeling long are the ones in which we are waiting for something. Waiting for something to come to us, for something to change, for something to come knocking on our door. And while luck may have it that opportunity will come to us at some point, more often than not, we are responsible for going out and getting it ourselves. 

This week (and for the rest of your life), I challenge you to be intentional about how you use your time. There are literally a million things you can be in this world. Whatever it is, let it be something good. Good for you and for the people around you. In trying times we are especially reminded that we have this golden opportunity and chance in life to do what we were meant to do and become who we were meant to become. As Cat Stevens so eloquently put it:

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out

And if you want to be free, be free

‘Cause there’s a million things to be

You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high

And if you want to live low, live low

‘Cause there’s a million ways to go

You know that there are

You can do what you want

The opportunity’s on

And if you find a new way

You can do it today

You can make it all true

And you can make it undo

You see, ah ah ah

It’s easy, ah ah ah

You only need to know

Well, if you want to say yes, say yes

And if you want to say no, say no

‘Cause there’s a million ways to go

You know that there are

And if you want to be me, be me

And if you want to be you, be you

‘Cause there’s a million things to do

You know that there are

You can do what you want

The opportunity’s on

And if you find a new way

You can do it today

You can make it all true

And you can make it undo

You see, ah ah ah

It’s easy, ah ah ah

You only need to know

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out

And if you want to be free, be free

‘Cause there’s a million things to be

You know that there are

You know that there are

You know that there are

You know that there are

You know that there are

What will you be today? And who will you be for the rest of your life? Write it down, envision it, dream it. And most importantly, once you have done all that, do it. Don’t wait on the world to deliver to you. It is waiting on you.