Shining Despite Everything
There are stories all of us have where we did something despite the odds or what we told was possible. Maybe we were even told we were crazy for thinking about it. We felt compelled, challenged, even dared though to take whatever it was on and by some determination, will and sweat equity we figured it out and was successful at it; or maybe we weren’t but we kept at it until we made at least something out of it. We rose above what others said about us and what they believed couldn’t be done or at least what they didn’t think was worth investing in until they saw what you created.
I have always felt a hefty load of odds in my life. If I were to string together all the challenges and problems I’ve encountered it would be a wonder how I’m still standing some days. I’m sure you feel the same when you look at your path. Sometimes life just hasn’t been easy right? Yet how do we keep going when things are just not feeling good around us and no one seems to be in our corner telling us it will be alright just keep pushing forward? I have learned determination only gets you so far and sooner or later you run out of anger and sheer willpower gets exhausting. This is where I’ve seen a lot of wanting to give up come up for me. I’m tired, it’s not working anyway, no one cares so why am I bothering. Maybe they were right.
When we feel like that we have to ask ourselves if it does really matter. Sometimes we do things based on guide advice and things we see others doing. It is hard sometimes to discern our own mind to clearly describe our own needs and wants in life. I sometimes lack the words to give to them but I see someone else having success and that “seems” like what I want too. Yet when I get it or I see what’s involved in getting it then I’m not so sure anymore. For us to shine in any circumstance we have to know what we really want deep down in our soul. We have to be able to not let it be someone else’s cause or dream we are building but all our own.
What kicks in at that point of quitting when it is something meaningful and our own is passion and with that is a reboot of energy to continue taking the baby steps forward. Maybe that’s me just being a hard-headed person and maybe it’s realizing that if I listen to everyone’s fine advice I would never achieve my own dreams. Yes we can give it our all and still fail but if we don’t try haven’t we already failed? Here’s my little pep talk I give myself in those moments of down and out feeling like I should pack it in.
What if it were really the best idea ever and changes our life and millions others for the better?
What if it really fills my life with blessings beyond imagination?
If I knew those things would I still give up now?
If there is hope of them would I?
After these questions, I will usually pick up where I was and keep pushing, pulling, digging, building, creating, thinking, getting dirty and figuring it out. It comes down to more than you think you have in you to take the next step. Being strong when you think you can’t and finding bravery when you didn’t know you had any. Often I have found it is not that something is impossible but it’s more of how much work we’re willing to put into it to make it a reality. When we shine despite the odds in that process, I think that is a true testimony about our character and strength. Going against the odds is not for the faint of heart but it can definitely be rewarding on the other side of that rainbow.
No matter what we are trying to do there will be odds and people who say we’re going about it all wrong. They will question us so much that we can start to doubt ourselves and feel like we are wrong too! Now we could get defensive about it and maybe rightly so but to me that is not natural. It takes away the joy of what we are doing. It takes away our attention from focusing on making progress. It steals our time! How many great ideas and inspirational inventions have been shut down because of someone giving into the pressure of being told they were crazy for trying it?
Shining against the odds may not feel natural but it is. When we are true to ourselves it means we are living in natural alignment in body, mind and spirit. If we can say that is true about what we are doing and not simply an emotional move or something someone told us was a good idea then our challenge is in letting go of what others have to say and letting the naturalness of what we are doing come alive. As in anything new we try it may not seem natural but we keep learning how to do it better and improving our skill at it. The same occurs when we let go of naysayers and doubts holding us back and try it. When we let it flow and see it transpire we gain our own confidence in the process and can move in grace of the changes.
It can be hard to shine when it’s pouring down on you. When things are not going well we can let our inner voice take too much control over our thoughts. Yet again this is when we can call on our alignment to know if what we are pursuing is right for us. We can assess our strategy and adjust where needed but maybe we just need to keep moving forward. We can figure that out when we silence that naysayer inside our own head. Our ability to smile in challenges may be tough but doing it will make things a little easier and give us that perspective we need in the moment.
The difference between just pushing forward and doing it in natural alignment is our ability to see the journey as positive rather than just work. That slight change gives us fuel for our willpower when it starts to dwindle and a guard against the negativity that says it is impossible to achieve. I believe this simple alignment is what leads to passion. What we do in passion from a point of love for our dreams, ourselves and what we want in this world it lets us shine against the downpours and focus on our next step.
Getting through a challenge and being able to smile throughout it means we have found that space of faith, hope and willpower to see it through. We will do what is right for ourselves no matter how hard that seems. I often think this may be what it means to have peace that passes all understanding because when it’s happened to me I can’t describe it. I feel it through and I know I’m on the right path even though there may be a smoother one I could have taken. Living naturally doesn’t mean our paths in life get smoother though. It just means we are equipped, prepared and ready to deal with it and come out the other side.
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