Changing Horses Mid-Stream August 3, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Less IS More, People, Spirit & Ego.comments closed
As we accumulate experiences, we modify our view of the world. Our values and life philosophies change over time.
What worked ten years ago may not work for us now. What works now may not work for us tomorrow.
We are rarely the same person at forty that we were at twenty.
As we age, our taste in music, clothes, friends, food, and even careers is apt to change, requiring us to make subtle (and not so subtle) course corrections to maximize our happiness.
When we access our inner wisdom to evaluate who we are and what we want out of life, we may realize that our life requires adjusting:
* When we love where we live, we blossom. If we feel we’ve been planted in the wrong pot, we stop sending out roots.
* If we enjoy “earning a living,” we give it our best. When our jobs make us miserable, our paychecks (no matter how large) seldom reflect the true measure of our sacrifice.
Changing horses mid-stream can be intimidating.
We may be afraid to leave the known for the unknown. Fear of uncertainty can be paralyzing.
Even if fear is not an issue, we may feel locked into a career decision made decades earlier by a younger, and less experienced, version of ourself.
Funny, that.
After all, how many forty-year-olds would hire their twenty-year-old selves to make decisions for them today?
Not many, I’d wager.
And then there’s inertia.
We realize something about our life is NOT right. It is a thorn in our side. But the effort to remove the thorn seems too great.
Instead of making changes, we moan, whine, and complain to anyone who will listen.
We give ourselves permission to do nothing by pretending there is nothing to be done . . . or, at least, nothing that we can do.
I’m so out of shape. I wish I had time to exercise. Sigh. [Reaches for the remote.]
I’m so fat. I wish I hadn’t gained all this weight. Sigh. [Brushes donut crumbs off shirt.]
Man! I never have enough money to pay all the bills. I’m in debt up to my eyeballs. Sigh. [Heads to mall for retail therapy.]
Sound familiar?
People adding to their own misery by the choices they make, without seeing their contribution to the situation.
And us? How do we respond to their laments?
We commiserate. We nod and say we understand and life is hard and dreams sometimes die on the vine and . . .
Why do we do that?
Perhaps we want permission from them to live with the thorn in our side?
Quotes to Ponder:
* Life is not a dress rehearsal. Quit practicing what you’re going to do, and just do it. In one bold stroke, you can transform today. ~ Phillip Markins
* The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. ~ J. Pierpoint Morgan
* The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. The gift of life is yours. It is an amazing journey and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. ~ Dan Zadra
* We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its urgency, “here and now” without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank. ~ Jose Ortega y Gasset
* I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. ~ J.B. Priestley
* Tomorrow’s life is too late. Live today. ~ Marcus Valerius Martialis
* We are here, and it is now. What else is there? ~ Kobi Yamada
No rules. Just write!
Related posts: Do What You Love * But I Might Die Tonight * Way of the Peaceful Warrior * Discovering Your Secret Identity * Live Your Life
Spirit Lights The Way 