Don’t settle, this isn’t as good as it gets.

There was a movie about a man moving through the world with severe mental illness.  At one point, he storms into the waiting room of his psychologist and speaks the words, “What if this is as good as it gets?”

This line landed in the center of my being because of some of the lows and frustrations I have gone through in my life.  I remember struggling with depression and looking at my family history of bi-polar disorder and depression and knowing that my father faced that very question on the last day of his life.

Mental problems aside, there are times in every facet of our lives where we look around at where we work, live, what we drive, who we spend time with and we ask ourselves the same thing.  I am putting before you the counter proposal; if you are alive, you have the opportunity to change anything you want.

I truly believe that we plateau when we stop expecting better for ourselves.  I’m in the latter half of my 50’s and I have amazing friends, a happy marriage (even he agrees), I like my work and (despite the fact that it needs some repair,) I even like my car a lot.  Do I want to sell more art? of course.  Would I like better friends? Nope, my friends are spectacular.  Would I like a better marriage? Again, not on your life.  My life is this way because I heard that line and decided that No, this was not going to be as good as it would be.

I kept pushing, for my mental health, my family, my art and my life to make sure I understood that I deserved the best that I could find and achieve.  It is a modern world and while there are challenges, there are still chances to make changes.  There is help, there is education, there are people who want you to be the best you can be.  That is what I am going to keep working toward, what I feel I deserve.

Here is a hint; if you are a part of my life, that means I choose to have you here.  You all help me be the best each and every day and I am incredibly grateful for every one of you.