I’m from California and when I first moved to Montreal my husband and I had a deal that we would return to my hometown after 10 years.  Well, I’ve been here 13 ½ and there are no signs of returning.  Truthfully, between years 9 and 12 I was finding myself angry and bitter that our plans were not moving forward.  I felt trapped in a city in which, sure I had a good job and friends, but there were so many things that I missed from home, mainly my family, the weather and the beach.  I was not living the life I wanted.

Finally, about 1 ½ years ago I made a decision to make the best of my life in Montreal and stop longing for something that did not look like it was going to happen.  What is so interesting about this decision is that it forced me to start looking at my life in new ways.  I found more beauty and joy in the present moments and even created new experiences and relationships that have enhanced my life greatly.  I took a situation in which I felt “trapped” and have turned it into a life I love and frankly, would have a hard time leaving!

When our lives are not what we had hoped, when we are in situations or relationships which are not bringing us all of our dreams what can we do to live our best life?  Today’s guest on Caregivers’  Circle, author of DANCE: Five Steps to Living Your Best Life and host of Parenting with Passion, Deborah DeJong will share her advice on how to change the way we think, behave and make decisions in order to live our best life.