Letter from the Editor
We've all gone through transformations in life. We've transformed from child to woman, idealistic student to realistic bill payer, or maybe even daughter to mother. Some transformations are exactly what we hope for. We shed our student persona and become respected professionals. Or, more likely, we transform from lowly entry-level workers into respected professionals. We visit home and find that our parents are starting to understand that we're adults, not children. Perhaps we meet a man, fall in love and transform from party girl to happy partner. Life keeps moving and eventually we look at ourselves with horror and realize we've transformed into our mothers. Please, oh please, never let me go through that transformation!
The transformations never end, for better or worse. My question is this: how much control do we have over these transformations? In my heart of hearts I believe that I have 98% control over the direction of my life. My goal is to be a published author. If I want to achieve that goal, I just have to work hard at my writing and editing, submit tons of manuscripts and eventually someone will realize I should be a published author. It looks much easier on paper than it is in reality. I'm scared of rejection and fear being a muddling failure. But I do believe that if I just work hard enough I can eventually make my dreams a reality. I think that any half-way intelligent person can meet her goals just as long as she's willing to put in the work--and that's the hard part. It's too easy to sit back and let life pass us by while we putter safely along doing something we don't particularly want to do. We can all transform into the people we dream of being, but the getting there turns many people away.
What I don't understand are people who seem completely unwilling take control of their transformations. My sister is the perfect example of this. Life happens to her. Nothing is her fault. She believes she's meant for great things in Hollywood, yet she has never considered taking an acting class or moving to Hollywood or even being in a school play. She takes no responsiblity for herself. Instead she chooses to scream out that mantra of so many: "Life isn't fair!" This attitude has left her standing by the side of the road, wondering why the gas tank is empty and the motor's burned out. She never thought of filling the tank herself or changing the oil once in a while.
Transformations.
Do we ever know where we're going to end up? I think most of us believe we'll conquer the world, but how do we get from normal person to world conqueror? There's only one way. We've got to have a plan and a work ethic. We've got to say "I will become this" and then figure out what this requires. If you want to become an astronaut you've got to start with science classes. If you want to become a business owner you've got to start with research and maybe even small business courses. If you want to become a writer, you've got to start writing. Once you've got a plan, you'll be unstoppable!
Of course, unpredictable bumps will occur along the way, but that's the nature of life. I never imagined I would be a housewife in Sweden, yet here I am. Love knocked on my door and it changed my life and my perspective. All I can do is embrace the unexpected and incorporate it into my master plan.
Now's the time to take a look at your life. Grab a pen and a piece of paper and describe yourself in five words. Now think about your life five years ago and write five words to describe it. Do the words match up? If they're anything like mine they describe two very different people (five years ago: tired, bitter, lonely, cynical, lost; today: happy, in love, pursuing dreams, organized, optimistic). Time passes and things change. Our lives transform whether we take control or not. Hopefully your life is right on track and you're headed in a postive direction. If not, it's never too late to sit down and take stock. Where do you want to be? How can you get there? In five years you're going to find yourself in some place you never expected. Make the choices now to ensure that it's a good place.