I do not have any tattoos.  It's not that I don't like them, it's just that if I'm going to get one, I want it to mean something.  I think if I were to get one today, it would say "Embrace the Chaos."  I like order.  I like everything in it's right place.  I try to keep my kitchen organized, my bed made and my desk clean.  As much as I love things to be organized, however, I still have stacks of boxes in some rooms.  I have a bookshelf that is super cluttered and has been for years.  So how can this be?  How can I be super obsessed about the toilet paper roll being hung up the right way (tissue behind the roll pointing down) and yet let dishes pile up in my sink for a week? 

It's because I have learned to embrace the chaos.

Or maybe I should say it is a work in progress.  But I had to learn years ago that I cannot control everything.  Which is a bummer for a guy like me to realize.  Most people who like things super organized are like that because they want to control everything.  Or at least control what they can.  It gives them a sense of peace, confidence, accomplishment and most of all safety.  But it's a false safety.  And it is a safety that we often use an excuse to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. 

The only way for someone who is a little OCD like me to deal with the fact that I can't control everything is to let go completely.  I mean, really let go and just accept the fact that I'm not in control.  Life is going to get messy sometimes.  The dishes are going to pile up.  You are going to spill things.  And someone might even come into your life and force you to change your routine.  You have to be ready for that or you will never truly experience the greatest joys of life.

I spent a lot of years pushing people and opportunities away because they would cause too much of a "mess" in my perfectly organized life.  When I looked all around me and noticed the people who were really living, I noticed their lives had a significant amount of chaos in them.  I use to feel sorry for these people, but now I'm starting to understand the magic of chaos.  The point is you can't live your life in a perfectly organized box and expect there to be adventure and inspiration as well.  If you want to live an inspired life, then you have to be willing to get messy sometimes.  You have to realize that you can't control everything.  You have to let go, open your mind and dive in.  And I promise, if you make the decision to do so, you will start to enjoy the craziness because the craziness means you are living.

To live a truly inspired life, you have to let go.  If you feel like you are missing out on something, it is only because you are holding on so tight to your perfectly little organized life.  Adventure awaits.  Get ready to get messy.

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