There are times when the struggle IS real. No effort you put in seems to matter, everything you touch is going wrong, and you are left wondering if you made the (life) right choice. Remember, this too shall pass!
When I was a kid, I was raised to "never say die" and my motto through much of life has been, "The Faint at Heart Never Won Anything." Yet, there are days when the courage turns back, the fear takes over, and defiance leaves the taste of sawdust in your mouth.
These are the days that I have to remember that there is always a silver lining to EVERY cloud. There is always a lesson to be learned, a page to be turned, a new chapter to begin.
On particularly bad days, I refer back to this poem:
When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns As every one of us sometimes learns And many a failure comes about When (s)he might have won had (s)he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow— You may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside out— The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell just how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit— It's when things seem worst that you must not quit. -John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)
Having that motto growing up has led me/us on some amazing adventures but it has also led me to keep trying long after the writing was on the wall. There's a lesson to be learned about when to say when. If you find yourself wanting to walk out the door, drive down the street, get on a plane, leave the country, and start a new life (only mildly kidding here)...it's a fine line between moving forward TOWARD a goal or running AWAY from a current situation.
The thing to remember is this: No matter where you go, there you are.
This is where the introspection SHOULD have been in full swing. What is your motivation? Why are you doing this? Where are you going? What do you hope to accomplish? The answers to these questions are neither right or wrong. The measurement is what works and what doesn't. If your current life is fulfilling your dreams/wants/desires/needs...then keep on keeping on. If it isn't, then what are you waiting for? What is holding you back from taking that leap?
Most of all, when you think you can go no further...fail forward.
Comments