What is the point in planning?

Now, I’m not talking about planning what you’re going to eat for lunch or that hair appointment you booked for Thursday, I’m talking about long-term life plans. The 5, 10 year plans that schools and jobs sometimes advise us to write down. Because let’s be serious, are you really doing the things you expected yourself to be doing when you planned 5 years ago? Do you really know what you will want in 10 years? I think we get so caught up in the expectations of our society, to be able to prove to others around you that you have your life together and know exactly where you are going, that we forget that we actually have no idea where we are going.

We are, in fact, quite messy at life.

At least I am, and I’m now embracing that! Five years ago I was in second year university for my Bachelors in Business, playing Varsity Volleyball and single. I was planning on majoring in Accounting, playing professional volleyball in Europe after graduating, and was actually at a place in life where I was happy with no boyfriend.

And then BOOM! Life happened!

I met an amazing Marketing professor at Acadia (who misses Professor Ash?!) who released my passion for this topic and I changed my major to Marketing. I tore my meniscus in my right knee but continued to play volleyball the whole season, tearing it so badly that I needed surgery and had to stop playing volleyball for 5 months. And an amazing guy swept me off my feet and I fell in love. After graduating university I turned down professional volleyball contracts in Europe to move to Calgary (I’m from Vancouver) with the love of my life to start our life together and pursue my career in marketing. Did I ever expect to live in Calgary? Definitely not!

In the warmer seasons I pursued playing professional beach volleyball for a couple years where I stumbled upon yoga. I had meant to use it for cross-training, but soon found out it was what my soul was craving and I quit volleyball to practice yoga every day. Now I teach yoga many times a week and would love to make yoga a full time career! Did I ever see myself doing yoga, let alone teaching yoga? Nope! I was the least flexible person and never did dance or anything graceful, who knew yoga would be for me?

All in all, I think it’s wonderful to have a direction in life, meaning you know how you would like to feel in 5, 10 years from now. You don’t need to know where you are going and what you will be doing, but to just know you are pursuing happiness, health, confidence, kindness, is all that is important. Do not worry if something unexpected happens that ‘pushes you off your path’, because we truly do not know what our path is. Just let life take you on its journey and enjoy the process.

Namaste my friends. xox

**Photo from photoshoot done by Karma Collective, based in Vancouver. http://www.SharetheKarma.com