Open?

How open are you to life’s possibilities? I mean really, truly open.

As I write this, I realize I haven’t been. I thought I was earlier this year. A few months ago, I finally convinced myself that it would be in my best interest to accept my circumstances. (Currently, things aren’t quite as they should be…Or is it, as I think they ought to be?) Meanwhile, I realize that deep down I haven’t been willing to let go.

These days I’m trying to cultivate my ability to both accept what is and remain hopeful about the future. And even then, beyond my desires, I know that there is more. There is that which I can’t see–what God has in store for me.

For instance, to this day I think that my ultimate work/life destination is Toronto. Then I saw this in Lilly Singh’s Instagram.

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Being a well-rounded individual is admirable. It means you have many skills, adapt well to situations & your shape resembles a pizza. What’s not to love? But it’s naive to think that you are a well-rounded person if you’ve only ever experienced the world from your house, with your family and in your city. What you know is very little compared to all that is actually out there in different places, occupied by different people, who are submersed in a completely different culture. I believe that wisdom is a passport full of stamps. Every single time I’ve traveled, I’ve been both astonished and embarrassed by my own ignorance, but I’ve also realized it’s not completely my fault! I’ve been taught certain things throughout my life that I’ve labeled as “normal” and so have you. Traveling is the best way to discover that “normal” is subjective and everything you think is the standard, is actually just an opinion. For example, did you know it’s illegal to sell gum in Singapore? Did you know in the Rastafarian religion, make up on girls is considered unattractive? Yeah. Imagine never having to wing your liner because THAT is the hot thing to do. Sign me up. Twice. The world is a classroom and you should make every effort to attend as many classes as possible. I highly encourage you to save up a little every month and put that money towards travelling to new places and learning new things. Let the globe burst your bubble, disrupt your sense of reality & put your learned thought-process to the test. Personally, travelling has helped me be less judgemental, open to new ideas & a really great story teller because who doesn’t want to hear about how awesome the Pad Thai is in Thailand?! No one. The answer is no one. If people don’t want to hear about food, they’re bad friends…and probably robots. Having said that, I’ve decided to travel as much as possible before the manuscript for my book is due. I’ll be writing the rest of my book in Italy, Toronto, Brazil, Kenya and Singapore (while chewing NO gum). You can pre-order my debut book “How To Be a Bawse” right now at LillySinghBook.com or by clicking the link in my bio. Tag 3 friends you want to travel with! #BawseBook

A post shared by Lilly Singh (@lilly) on Aug 30, 2016 at 3:31pm PDT

Her words reminded me of how narrow our vision can become. That’s when I thought

Why Toronto? Why not the world?

A long-lost cousin of mine recently asked me,”Do you travel?”

Those words sparked my imagination. The truth is that I haven’t travelled. Or at least, not as much as I think I should have.

But this is not a post about my adventures. It’s about tasting and seeing what life has to offer.

Possibilities are everywhere, and they’re endless.

Understanding this can be tricky. While I enjoy being specific in my desires, I realize that sometimes in doing so, I risk limiting myself. I need to be ready to embrace what comes, regardless of where it’s from, or where it leads.

What about you?

Photo by Finn Hackshaw