Three years ago. 
Mid pandemic.
I had to face a really hard truth. 
A painful truth. 
And for the first time in my life,
Instead of thinking about what I want.
I thought about what I don’t want.

The bi-product,
Clarity of my non-negotiables.
What I wasn’t willing to accept.

Up until that point,
I was clear, on everything that I wanted.
We are so good, 
At chasing what we want.
But I wasn’t clear, 
On how I was willing to attain it. 
Boundaries. 
Non-negotiables.

Life is easy when you know,
Your non-negotiables.
When you commit,
To your non-negotiables.
Not knowing,
Your non-negotiables.
Not committing,
Brings chaos.
Confusion.
Makes life harder.
Unclear.
Stuck in the purgatory of life’s choices.

Non-negotiables are boundaries.
Boundaries take a stand.
A lot of times (not always),
We don’t want to take a stand.
We want someone else to take a stand for us. 
Or to choose us. 

To own your non-negotiables.
Means to remove excuses.

Take a stand.
Choose yourself.
Amidst the unknown.
Get clear on what you don’t want.
And don’t be surprised if it illuminates,
Something new that you never knew you wanted. 

Some things are only unveiled,
Non-linear.
That's the magic of it all.

What are your non-negotiables?
Make a list.
Short list. 
And see if you can commit to them.
And if you can’t,
Then be very really curious,
About why you can't.
Or won't.