The Shape of Things to Come
Your real life is here and now. That might seem like an absurdly obvious statement, and for the fortunate few who have a perfect existence, I suppose it is. But for many people, that is not the case.
Instead, they pace in circles in the shadow of other people’s expectations and a litany of regrets that they do not possess what they think others have — or frustration that they can’t go — or do — what they want to do on a whim — or that they are not living a different life in a more exotic place.
And to you I say — just stop.
Put down your phone, or your tablet, or laptop and close your eyes.
Imagine you are locked in a room and the only way to gain your freedom was to list ten true things that are really great about your life.
What would you say?
Would you rattle off your list in a nano second with a smile on your face — or would you really need to think about it?
It doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?
But what if I told you that having gained your freedom from this first room, you would then find yourself in yet another room?
Granted this next room would be a little larger and more comfortable than the previous one, but it would be a room just the same.
There would be windows where you could see people passing by outside, but they seemed unable to hear you no matter what you did to try to attract their attention — and the door would be just as tightly sealed as the previous one.
Now imagine being told you would be staying in this room until you could name ten completely new things that you loved about your life — without having any concept of how long this would take or what these ten things might turn out to be?
Would you find this news daunting, or would you be excited by the challenge?
How would you begin to get your bearings and make a life for yourself?
Would you waste eons lamenting that you could not go back to the previous room, or whining about the fact that you were not making progress toward escaping from your present room fast enough?
Or do you suppose that you might realize how futile this was and instead set about trying to discover ways to fill the day in this new place that made you happy?
New beginnings are always a challenge, particularly when they happen unexpectedly.
Sometimes the impact of change is obvious (like moving country).
Other times the change can be so subtle it you might not even be sure that anything had changed for a while — but regardless of how you perceive your circumstances, two key facts remain true — with every change comes an opportunity to discover new things about yourself and to learn to solve problems in new ways.
And once you have learned all that you can — and truly mastered a new place, yet another door will spring open, and a new life will take shape — whether or not you expected it to.
The takeaway can be simple or confusing — change in your life WILL happen in a variety of scenarios. Some will be self-created while some will seem to be inflicted upon you. Regardless, the only sensible course of action will be to adjust your lifestyle and your thoughts and feelings.
Rather than fight it, embrace it.
You might even enjoy it!
