Making the best of a difficult situation

For the last three months I have been reexamining my life as a newly single 20-something in an effort to figure out what I want out of life and what type of person (and people in general) I want to share my time. This is what has been happening for all the world to see, but behind the scenes, I have continued to live with my ex as we wait for our lease to end. This could be an extremely challenging situation -- trying to create a fresh start while my past wanders around in his boxers leaving beer cans on the coffee table and dishes in the sink -- but surprisingly it's not. You're probably thinking, "yeah, right. There is no way." But it's true, at least most of the time.

Don't get me wrong, I am human after all, but if I catch myself getting ready to board the "but, what if. . . ." train, I just take a moment and remind myself that this was MY decision with MY best interests in mind and move on. My last relationship served it's purpose and I would be doing myself a disservice by reconsidering my very well thought out decision to move forward. There's also a light at the end of the tunnel. September will mark a true turning point in my life, but I see no point in waiting until then to get right with myself.

As suggested by my favorite Matchmaker, I recently made a top ten list of qualities my man must have in order to meet my physical, emotional, mental, financial and spiritual needs. By making my needs and desires clear, this one little exercise builds the foundation for a future relationship to be built. Tonight I read a blog post in the Huffington Post by Gail Lynne Goodwin, the ambassador of inspiration (love it!), entitled "The Secret to Finding Your Soulmate." Her personal story is a perfect example of this. Because she knew very clearly what she wanted, she was able to identify him as soon as he walked into her life. Though I don't think most people have her luck -- she basically met the man of her dreams within days of declaring her search for her soulmate -- I definitely think she had the right idea.

We all face challenging seasons in our life, ultimately we make the decision to be miserable or not. For me it boils down to this: I have been able to make the best of a difficult situation because (a) the outcome will be worth the pain, (b) it's only temporary, (c) I am a better person because of my experience and most importantly, (d) my faith in God. Sometimes it's necessary to stop and smell the metaphorical roses and then there are times like these where I focus on the future and run like the wind!