1 +1 = 1

I'm finally starting to slow down.

I can't say that I have been rushing around aimlessly my entire life trying to accomplish tasks that seem unreachable. But I do have a natural tendency to want to please everyone, pushing myself aside.

I'm done.

I took a long walk along the beach with a friend the other day... and he said a quote that I will never forget.

1 + 1 = 1.

You're probably thinking this doesn't make sense. And anyone with even the slightest mathematical knowledge could agree to this. But in regards to life, this is the answer.

Whether you're flying solo, have a best friend, surrounded by a large family, or you are days away from tying the knot - you must always remain '1.'

Often we find ourselves caught up in life and in the mindset that we are only 'half' or what we are meant to be without the other people in our life. We become so dependent on being needed, that we forget to need ourselves. We get lost in the mix of how we can please others and winning the affections of those around us, that we let go of the most important person in our time here on earth.

This isn't to say that God isn't important. No doubt, I argue that he is the most important aspect of life. But in our earthly bodies, do we really give enough time to ourselves to even give God the glory he deserves?

There are a few areas that I often slip in when I start to invest in others more than myself... Sure, I run everyday, that's a given. But when I'm me, I do a lot more than that. I do an ab workout, I read my Bible, I study a health article or two, I write in my prayer journal, I take a photo of something I may never see again, I write, I sit in my hammock, I stop and listen, I breathe. And when things get busy or I start to make other parts or 'halves' in my life a priority, I lose myself. I put other peoples dreams in front of mine...

And in losing myself, other people lose the person they thought they knew too.

That's not fair to them. That's not fair to me.

I've never been good at slowing down. But I'm starting to learn... I'm start to realise that I need to choose others, but only once I have first chosen myself.

My future is pretty open at the moment. With job opportunities in 4 different countries on 3 different continents, it's time for me to be my '1' and to literally OWN that 1. I need to be the '1' that no one can take away from me even at my lowest. I need to be that '1' that no one can get in the way of. I need to be the '1' God made me to be.

I won't make the same mistakes.
I won't waste time.
I will not forget who I am among the midst of other peoples lives.
I will follow my dreams.
I will find other '1' individuals who can accept that 1 + 1 doesn't always equal 2.

I'm not far from '1.' I'm almost there.

I'm finally starting to slow down. It feels good.