Even though you may not want to admit it, you are probably "settling" on some level with something in your life. Settling occurs when you accept something less than what you really want, because you don't believe you can have it. Think about your relationship for a minute. Is it everything you want? Or, have you settled into it, and you're comfortable, so you stay? An easy way to flush this out is to ask yourself, "If I could have anyone, or any relationship, in the world, who would it be with?" If the answer is anyone other than who you are with, you are settling. This may seem harsh, but it is actually kinder to release someone from their obligation to you, than to keep them around, stuck with you in a relationship that isn't their ultimate destiny. We may allow ouselves to get our feelings hurt, and go into fear, but that doesn't have to happen. Your soulmates are out there wandering around, looking for you, and you are wasting time and energy in a situation that does not serve you, or them. It doesn't have to be emotionally damaging to release someone from a relationship with you. Society and old beliefs would have us hating our exes, but this is not how it has to be. Everyone who touches our lives is a valuable part of our journey, and releasing them lovingly is important so that you can learn your lessons. Holding on to bitterness, hurt, or anger, just keeps you stuck, and connected to them. It's a toxic cycle.

The other common form of settling is with your career. Ask yourself, "If I could do anything I wanted to, and be sure that I would succeed, what would that be?" If the answer is anything other than what you are doing, you are not pursuing your passion, or your life purpose. You probably have all kinds of justifications and excuses, like, "I am too old to start a new career." or "I can't make money doing what I want to do," but that is just fear talking. How many people have failed on their way to success? All of them. The difference is, they keep trying, until they succeed, instead of giving up because of a few failed attempts. So many of us have fear about this, and we unintentionally put this fear onto others. We tell ourselves that we are trying to "help" others, but what are we really doing? We are enabling them in their unhappiness, and encouraging them to settle for the "safe" choice. There are no limits except for the ones we set for ourselves. 

What would the world look like if no one settled for anything less than what they truly wanted? I don't even know, but it has to be better than where we are. Depression and mental illness are at an all time high, as is unemployment, and divorce. All these things would start to disappear if we all trusted ourselves and were encouraged to pursue our passions from an early age. There are no dreams to big, or too small.