You’ve been waiting—sometimes patiently and sometimes not so much—for an opportunity to come your way. You’ve been stuck playing the same scene repeatedly like you’re in the movie Groundhog Day, and nothing ever seems to progress forward.
Things finally start looking up, you feel your excitement rising, determine not to let fear keep you from embracing the blessing that’s about to come your way…then BOOM! You get excited when you’re sure that your future is knocking, run to open the door, and realize that what you’ve been running from is standing there with its fist poised to knock you back down.
Clichés exist for a reason.
I’m sure you’ve heard them all: those platitudes that people spew at you when they are trying, and failing, to empathize with what you’re going through:
- It always gets worse before it gets better.
- It’s always darkest just before dawn.
- One step forward, two steps back.
That last one really gets me. My journey has always been more like “One step forward, six steps sideways, backpedal down eleven stairs, sidestep the crocodile, swim through the quicksand, and trip down an uncovered manhole to splutter in the sewer beneath.”
Breaking the cycle…can it be done?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Not only CAN it be done, but HOW to make it happen. I wish I had a blanket solution that would answer that question for each of you.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors at place here. Your circumstances, your challenges, your willingness to step outside of your comfort zone are all part of the root system from which your future will grow. They are all part of the mathematical equation that defies logic, that defies reason, and make succeeding so difficult to predict.
There is one quote I’m particularly fond of, though, I must admit:
“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” – Henry Ford
If you spend your time stressing, and it only brings you more stress…if you spend your time angry, and it only brings you more anger…if you spend your time grieving, and it only brings you more grief…maybe it’s time to change the algorithm. What do you think?
You are MORE than your roots would lead you to believe.
You are not merely the sum of your life experiences. I want you to sit with that thought for a minute. Really delve into the depths of it and what it entails:
- You are more than your bad choices.
- You are more than your addiction.
- You are more than the consequences of your good intentions.
- You are more than a victim of your trauma.
- You are more than an object of someone else’s negative obsession.
- You are more than a punching bag.
- You are more than a broken heart.
- You are more than your anger…your grief…your despair.
You are more than a victim of circumstance. There are factors that are beyond your control; there always have been. There always will be. There are moments in your past thar have, for better or worse, defined who you are.
Are you aware of the power of THIS moment, though? This singular breath in time where you can realize the power of CHOICE. This instant where you can CHOOSE to create, instead of continuing to destroy… to BE MORE.
Reset your rhythm and start marching to a different beat.
Are you tired of losing? Find something that makes you feel like a winner and train yourself to realize that no victory is too small. Yes, you can.
Does the thought of one more day of drudgery make you want to throw things at the wall? Pick a paint color and throw that instead. Create a work of art out of your frustration, a masterpiece from your catastrophe.
Are you tired of spinning your tires in the mud on the mountainside and only sinking deeper? Find a small hill and climb that instead. Success doesn’t always come with a phenomenal view.
Does living every single day the same make you feel like you are drowning? Rediscover the power of your imagination—become your own version of the Loch Ness Monster and own that puddle!
When is the last time you made a costume? Allowed yourself to pick daisies? Doodled aimlessly in your work ledger, or allowed yourself five minutes to free-think and jot your thoughts down on paper?
No one else has this power—Only you.
Life can be heavy. Life can be hard. The set of circumstances surrounding you are unique to you, alone. It doesn’t matter how many others have suffered the same things or been in similar situations. In the darkness of your mind, only you have the power to harness your own thoughts. Sometimes, those thoughts can be heavy too. Those thoughts can be hard. Those burdens can feel as if they are beyond your control. Maybe they are.
Don’t feel like you must win the battle in order to win the war. Your progress can be as miniscule as a single, intentional breath in which you decide you want something better. The greatest of trees can begin as the humblest of seeds – I genuinely believe this.
Find something that breathes life back into your inner flame, dear friend. The world will try to beat you down…don’t you think it’s time to take that power back? One breath. One moment.
Even the most intricate of quilts begin with a single stitch.