For most of us, the plan is to have an extraordinary life. Our time in this world is so precious, and brief, it just makes sense to get everything we can out of each day. And then, by building one day upon the next, we can create a life full of meaning.

However, something can happen along the way when attempting to find this meaning – we begin trying too hard. We run the risk of trying to convince ourselves that compromise serves us better than our true passion and life’s purpose. We ignore our inner voice, our inner wisdom, which is attempting to tell us to come back to the center and just be who we are and who we are meant to be.

I have seen this many times during my professional career. In fact, I have succumbed to it. The allure of moving up the food chain at work or the promise of a promotion can make some of us almost intoxicated with the possibilities of what could be instead of staying grounded with what is.

Long hours spent away from the people who matter the most, agreeing to decisions and directions that are not aligned with our personal values, and saying things we really don’t mean, but feel compelled to say anyway, are all examples of trying too hard and not living within our hearts.

Every day I struggle with these same challenges. But I’m learning to be a person of choice. We get to choose to be real or not. It’s our responsibility to look after ourselves and nurture our inner spirit and our souls. No one else will do this for us.