There’s going to be a day when you want to throw your hands up in the air and say, “I give up. None of this is working. It’s all too hard, and I’m tired.”
I encourage you to embrace those feelings and to ask yourself this question: Why are you reading this book? What are you trying to do with your life?
Here’s the thing: When you are alone with your thoughts, you can think, say, or do pretty much whatever you want.
No one can make you embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Heck, it’s a hell of a lot easier to not work on self-improvement.
But chances are, there’s something nagging at you about your wanting to have a happy life and to feel more fulfilled.
The big secret is that there is no finish line. We live, and then we die. Yes, that might come off sounding flippant or morbid, but we’re not living to get a gold star. That’s not the point of self-improvement.
What do you want to get out of your life?
If you’re not happy, how are you going to change that? What can you do, and what do you have power over to change?
If you reflect on these questions, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of scary answers come to mind. Maybe you want to get a new job, start a new career, have a baby, leave your spouse, find a way to come to terms with a terminal disease, or deal with any number of major life challenges.
Embrace your doubt, say (or write down) what you feel, and then be certain to love that part of yourself. Doubt is where truth and the road before you will clash.
None of this is easy. Yes, there can be easy days, but there are also hard ones. That’s how life is.
Bad things happen to good people, and as to why that is, well, we can’t know that.
Instead of focusing on the problems, list out what the solutions are. And if you can’t figure out an answer to your problems, talk to people, listen to others who have gone through a similar situation, the path will present itself to you in time.
When you are hit with doubt, you might want to give up or make a rash decision, or not act at all. Even choosing not to act is still a choice (and will have consequences).
I have tried so hard to move things forward in my life that I often have to laugh at myself because there’s usually a simpler path to get to where I want to go—I just didn’t see it. I was either too impatient or stubborn.
Over the years, I’ve doubted myself, God, my purpose in life, and everything in between. But what I’ve found is that doubt comes upon us on the road of life. Sometimes we doubt right before we have our answer or achieve our goal, and we’re afraid to move forward, so we doubt and convince ourselves to give up.
Embrace your doubt, listen to how you feel, express it, and then ask yourself this question:
Do I want to continue?
If not, take a break and see how you feel.
There isn’t a straight line for dealing with all our problems in life. Sometimes we take three steps forward and then four back—only to regroup later and move forward again.
The middle of things is a tricky time.
Good habits can fall to the wayside, we can slip back into unhealthy behaviors, and might turn a blind eye to our problems.
If you are experiencing any of these things, you’re not alone.
Again, when you’re alone and at peace, listen to what you want to do.
The answer will come to you if you listen.
Just don’t be surprised if the next step leads you to another staircase. The journey we’re on has all sorts of endings and beginnings. To embrace life and love it for what it is and who we are is one of the greatest gifts we have.
Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.