When I was living in the dark, that darkness surrounded me, I could feel it closing in, suffocating me as every bit of light was snuffed out. I saw it happening and yet did nothing to stop it, believing I belonged there, and hoping that somehow it would work itself out on its own. It didn’t, it only grew darker and the pit I was in deeper until I couldn’t see any light in front of me at all. I’ve shared before that it was someone sharing their story with me that gave me just enough hope to cause me to take action and desperately seek the help I needed to get well, and that hope was something I clung to like a life preserver until I could find my own light, but until I did that darkness, and my fear of it, was pushing me forward because I knew if I let go and succumbed to it there would be no way out.
I speak often about finding the light and using that to guide you, but there are times when we can’t see it, or it’s not bright enough for us to hold onto, it is the darkness, sometimes, that pushes us in a direction that allows us to find the light, and the fear of that darkness chasing us. The darkness can be a pretty cunning and baffling thing. It can be seductive, convincing and give us a false sense of security because it may be what we know, but we don’t belong in the darkness, as much as it may tell us we do, we do belong in the light and when we can find it anything is possible. So many times we think things have to look a certain way or we’re doing them wrong, that preconceived notion can keep us where we are, keep us sick, or cause us to become sicker. There are many ways to get to the same place, and we get to find our own path to that place. We cheat ourselves when we think something has to look a certain way to work, it doesn’t, and the beauty of the way life works, when we get out of its way, is that whether we feel guided or pushed, if we are open and willing to try new things and do the work, we’ll still get there regardless of the motivation. What the journey looks like is not what’s important, it’s important to ask for guidance, take action and trust the path in front of you is leading you to where you need to go. Willingness plays a big part in finding a new way and a way to happiness and freedom. We have to shed our old thinking and the idea that what we have been doing in the past is going to get us new results. For me, the fear of what was left for me, as a result of doing the same thing over and over, is what gave me the willingness to try something new, the gift of desperation as I’ve been known to call it, sometimes that’s the perfect place to be to finally make some changes and open the door to a new path.
We all have different ways of getting to our destinations, no two paths look exactly the same, and whatever motivates you to take the next right step is the right motivation, whether it is from the light or the darkness behind you, what’s most important is the direction you’re heading and the willingness to let in new ideas and changes that will allow you to move into a more positive chapter of your life. Always look for the light, but if you can’t see it yet, let the darkness give you a nudge forward for a better view. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you typically make changes by focusing on the light or by the fear of the darkness? What is most effective for you? What would you prefer? Write an example that the light in your life guided you to something better and an example when the darkness pushed you to do the same? Did the process of one over the other feel better? How can you better find the light in your life and allow it to guide you? When we focus on the light many times we can find it, but sometimes we need that brush of fear from the darkness to propel us to where we need to go, either way, be open and willing to move forward and make better choices for a more positive result.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
State Of Slay™ 