If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now...

This timeless phrase expresses a feeling many of us have reached at least once in our lives... probably much more often than once.

Simple, yet profoundly true, it reflects a shift in perspective - wisdom attained. We all learn as we go.  As we grow, we reflect back on past actions that could have had extremely different results if we had more experience at the time.

Isn't it amazing how much more we can see in the same situation after a few lessons are under our belt? Imagine going back to a time in your life in which you were hesitant or unprepared and having the opportunity to relive it with all you are now.

All those little steps we took led to our current foundations of wisdom. Had we not had all those realizations, we wouldn't be where we are at today. In light of this, we can be very thankful for all the small (and not so small) lessons along our paths.

Recently having a birthday and going through many large life changes, it's been so interesting to reflect on my own patterns and how I've focused my energy over the years. Things that previously commanded a lot of my attention, simply because I was curious about them or attracted to them in some form or another, are no longer in my life at all. I have elevated the investment of my energy increasingly over the years.  It is extremely freeing and fun to see myself growing and releasing prior limitations.

It's almost amazing that I couldn't see then what I see now. However, I guess things are revealed to us as we're ready to see them. Then it becomes almost impossible not to see them.

When it comes to learning in life, we can rejoice in two amazingly beautiful points:

1) We do know all that we know now. We have acquired great tools and experience to empower us in all that we need to and love to do. This is my favorite part of "aging". I continually get better and learn more. I still can't get enough of life and have a long list of things I want to accomplish and experience. This helps me stay passionate throughout the challenges of my days.

2) We still have a lot to learn. How wonderful it is to have room for growth ahead. When we reach our goals, we can become extremely stagnant and bored. It's beautiful that God has blessed us with such a vast world to experience and explore - beginning with ourselves.

To Enjoying Life's Lessons.

Love!

by Danielle Crume © 2010