Today is Thursday, which means I’m writing with Mama Kat’s Writers’ Workshop. I’m responding to prompt #2: What is one of your life mottos?

I’ve thought about it for the past couple of days, and I’d have to say that my motto is “Live your best life.” What does this mean?

1) Don’t compare your life to anyone else’s. Don’t compare your abilities to anyone else’s. We’re all different and it’s a waste of precious time to wish anything else.
2) Take advantage of any opportunity that comes your way. This might mean taking risks, but risks often mean a payoff down the road.
3) Look for lessons learned and the silver lining. Bad stuff happens; that’s life. Don’t waste too much time being sad. Instead, see what you can do to turn the negative positive.

I learned early on, when my best friend died at 13, that life isn’t fair and it isn’t always long. I believe that having Marfan has pushed me into living my best life. I gained an urgency of sorts to do everything that I can as soon as possible because (not to be overly dark, but…) no one is guaranteed to have tomorrow and I don’t know how long my joints will hold out. To that end, by 24, I’ve been able to earn 2 degrees, travel to 2 countries, hold a variety of jobs, get married, and have a baby. I’m slowing down some now, really relishing motherhood. Most days I feel like I’m living my best life. It’s not perfect, it’s not always happy, but it’s ME.

How do you live your best life?

What are your mottos?