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I recently had quite a shocking epiphany. It's embarrassing, really. Why? My realization, now, seems so stinkin' SIMPLE, but it took my over-complicated mind a ridiculous amount of circles around the obvious before finally settling on the conclusion. Are you ready for this? What if making meaningful change — to be happier, to have the life we want –only required LETTING GO & releasing our expectations of HOW we will get there?
Why can't simply knowing where we are & where we want to be (& that they're not the same) be enough? Why can't we just make small steps each day that get us closer to our objective?
Why can't we focus on having a meaningful journey instead?
Here's the thing. We get so caught up on the solution that we forget that there are SEVERAL ways to arrive at a destination. What if, in our frenzy to take one particular course of action, we totally miss out on a different route we could have taken?
What if our tunnel vision is hindering our success?
I don't know about you, but I know for a fact this has been the case for me. Now that I see it in black & white before me, I can clearly see that, somewhere along the line, I got caught up in the HOW entirely too much.
I forgot that I loved writing. I forgot that I started blogging as an outlet for ME with the added perk of possibly helping others. I forgot that my goal was to be more available to my family. I forgot that I wanted to get my thoughts out of my head more (not censor myself further).
I forgot that I was trying to speak against the stigma of mental illness. I forgot that I was trying to buck the “norm” in almost everything I did (as long as I stayed true to me). I forgot that my ultimate goal has always been to forge my own path, be with & take care of those I love, & grow as a person.
This blog has taken so many twists & turns with me. Its vision isn't so far off. But, my message has been getting muddled by trying too hard to live up to other people's expectations — or what I think other people's expectations might be, I guess.
For a while, I am giving myself “permission” to write more freely here.
There might be a more informal tone when you pop in here. I hope that's okay with you. For me, it's important. It's EVERYTHING. I need to get my spark back. I need to get my joy back. I'm making meaningful change to how I operate here.
I need to break through the barriers I've allowed myself to build between my thoughts & my keyboard — between me & you, between what I believe to be my God-given calling & whoever is meant to stumble upon it.
I have a story to tell, y'all.
I've been through some radical stuff. Things many haven't even fathomed — things part of me would rather just leaved buried.
But, there's a reason I've lived the life I have lived. My past has set me up for my present & my present is my transition into an incredible future.
I can feel it within me; this is the start of me making meaningful change.
I don't know how to describe it. When you have a purpose & it becomes clear, it's not a fog that's lifted immediately; for me, it's more of a trickle. I can look back & realize the fog has slowly been losing its density.
I can see the path in front of me.
I don't see all the way down the road yet. And, maybe I won't ever. BUT, I see the next several steps I need to take. And, I actually have a new excitement in me.
So, again, I'll say it: What if we just need to let go of HOW we will get to our destination? What if we need to focus more on the fact that there IS a destination, but be more concerned with making the journey there as meaningful as possible?
Eh. More soon. I promise. In the meantime, I'd love it if you'd share your thoughts about making meaningful change in your life in the comments or by shooting me an email. It's always great to hear from you.