Sometimes you can work your ass off and its not enough.
I know, it’s frustrating right? You crawl home and don’t even have the energy to clean the kitchen. Even the dog wonders if she is going to get dinner. The kids had better enjoy their Cheerios. Because there ain’t no cheer in you. A fog of fear and doubt has settled down on your covering you like a wet, thick blanket. People who are dog paddling like Hell don’t try to learn new swimming strokes — they are just trying to survive.
Survival is awesome. I’m all about team survival. So don’t get me wrong here when I say this: You have to find something deep in you to push past just surviving. Take an inventory of all the good things in your life — all the things (and people) who are worth pushing through pain for. Picture a better life — for you and for those around you. Ask yourself, “What will it take to get there?”
One of the things I was really afraid of as a kid (next to alien abductions, Soviet missile strikes and killer bees), was change. I was terrified I’d lose my parents, etc. I created the mother of all comfort zones around me and began to fight to protect it. I still do that do this day — most of us do, to be honest. But your comfort zone can be a more dangerous place than a blasting zone. Because when you are comfortable, you don’t do the work you need to do.
So let me go back to you working your ass off. You know the definition of insanity, right? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results — right? Right. As you might have noticed, 2020 has kicked off with lots of really scary news stories. COVID-19 — the Coronavirus whose new name now sounds like a cough medicine — seems pretty spooky. But worrying about it is a huge waste of energy. Washing your hands and not touching your face is a good place to start. And guess what, that will help protect you from the flu, too.
My point is this. If you want things to change for the better, you have to push past fear. And that requires you to face it head on by DOING THINGS that scare you. You have to let go of resentments and try to work together as a team. You have to look around and find little things you can make better. You have to make bold steps to reach out to others make their lives better.
Your life will get better. Your efforts will start paying off. Your faith will be rewarded. But you’re probably will be asking, “What happens if I fail?” Pick yourself back up and learn from it. As soon as you reframe your situation, you’ll notice that you still managed to change the playing field. There will be opportunities amongst the rubble.
We have to face the bad stuff now. Because when things get really bad, we won’t have time to prepare for them. Now is the time to train. Develop your callouses. Make your mind, body and faith strong.
Make a list of the things in your life you’d like to change. Start with the easiest and work your way up the list.
And feed your dog. She’s hungry.