Starting over is not a sign of failure! It’s a sign of courage that you are not giving up! It’s a willingness to give yourself some grace to try again. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on your past experiences and identify the area(s) of opportunity to do things just a little bit different this time!
My area of opportunity was learning how to manage my emotions. For most of my adult life, I was close-minded, defensive, and had a desperate need to be right. I just did not want to face my current reality of poor health, (pre-diabetic, mild depression, high risk of heart disease, and literally an extra 130 pounds weighing me down), unhealthy relationship, being uncomfortable with vulnerability, and a career that was not meaningful. I did not want to feel my feelings or face my current reality so I would turn to food to numb them thinking that everything would go away and blamed others for my life.
When I awakened, made the decision to dig deep and sit with my emotions to delay the gratification, that’s when the magic happened. It fueled me to have a burning desire to grow, to take charge of my health, to be open-minded, and most importantly curious.
Your window of flexibility to whatever life throws at you can improve. It’s going to require leaving your comfort zone and truly understanding your emotions and feeling your feelings. This is a big step, but discomfort is the price of creating a meaningful life.
So today ask yourself — Are you open-minded? Curious? Have a burning desire to grow? Or, are you close-minded? Defensive? Have a desperate need to be right?
I’m so glad I choose to learn to be open and curious! How about you?