For many years I knew I was going the wrong way. I made bad decisions, let my ego get in the way of me seeking help, and listened to my negative thinking that told me I didn’t deserve any better. I was speeding up a one-way street in the wrong direction and knew that eventually I would crash, but I kept my foot on the gas pedal anyway. That gave me a rush, knowing I was challenging life, and in the end, not really caring what the outcome was. I burned bridges along the way, damaged relationships, as well as my own sense of self, and then one day, inevitably, I would crash. The signs were always there, and they got bolder and bolder as I headed toward destruction. I’m grateful I found the courage to stop before I crashed for good.
As I stepped on the path I’m on now I had to make a lot of changes, I had to start doing what was best for my mental and physical health, and I needed to start focusing my energy on heading in the right direction. As I did that I noticed the signs, the ones that encouraged me or told me I was on the right path, and now, I made sure to pay attention and read what they were saying. Signs also popped up to warn me I was sliding off the road and instead of saying “so what,” like before, I made the change, of course there were times I didn’t make the change right away, but not doing the right thing didn’t feel good anymore, that little charge of excitement was gone, or didn’t last long, and then the reality that I was doing damage to my own recovery would kick in and I would get back on track. We always have a choice whether to do what’s right for us or not, we may make excuses, but that choice is ours to make, and so is watching out for those signs. For me, I had to make a conscious decision each day to do the next right thing, and if I didn’t make that next right choice, I had to learn to forgive myself for that and keep going, not throw in the towel and head back down the same old road. Failing is part of the journey, and the part we often learn the most from, so when it happens, it means we’re trying and there is probably some learning that can come from that failed choice. It’s always difficult to start a new path, we feel vulnerable and afraid, but if we continue to look for those signs, and share our truth along the way, we will start that new journey toward the freedom of our past. And here’s the thing about that old path, or road we once traveled, we have the choice to get off that road at any time, only we can set the parameters that may keep us there, but the truth is, we can take that exit whenever we want to, we don’t have to ride that road all the way to the end.
As most of us have a slower pace right now, it’s a good time to look at the signs we may have missed, or chosen to ignore, and ask ourselves if we’re on the right road, or headed the right way, this time of pause is the perfect time to exit and take a different road that might be better for you and where you want to go. Ask for guidance, look for the signs, and head in a direction that fills your heart with light. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you feel like you’re headed down the right road? If not, why do you stay? What direction would you like to see yourself headed? How can you get there? What do you need to do today to make that change? What has stopped you in the past? How can you overcome that? Write an example of something you have overcome in the past. Now remember that as you make the changes in your life that will best serve you. We all have the power to change, it may not be easy to start, but it is possible as long as we don’t give up and trust that the path that is truly meant for us will present itself, if we just keep looking for the signs.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
State Of Slay™ 