"There is no difference between living and learning...it is impossible and misleading and harmful to think of them as being separate." - John Holt, author
Have you ever thought about if there is any difference between living and learning? I think the natural tendency for us is to want them to be separate because sometimes when we think of learning we know there is going to be some degree of pain associated with learning. Learning stretches us to places that sometimes hurt. We like to travel the road of least resistance.
But think about it for a minute. What kind of life would we have if there wasn't learning, forever staying in the same place in life? Take a minute and look back at how far you've come in life. Look at all the good, bad and the ugly that you've traveled through in your life. It hasn't always been easy. Some of us may have experienced a tremendous amount of pain in a "Life Changing" event. Look at how much you learned and grown. Look at the strength you've gained. Look at the power you now have. Look at the wonderful lessons you've learned. WOW!! Isn't that exciting!!! When I did this exercise I had such a greater sense of gratitude for all the good as well as the bad. Because I know if it wasn't for the bad, I would be a very different person than I am now. I know I don't want to be at the place I was, maybe 15 or 20 yrs ago. I like the person I've become through all the big and little bumps in the road that got me to where I am now.
What has YOUR life taught you?
I'd like to challenge you today to think about this question for a day or two and then sit down and write your answer in a journal. This will be a powerful moment for you. And then the next time a huge boulder drops in your path read your journal entry and it will be a huge help in you overcoming that challenge.
I'd like to close with one last thought I read today from Spark People Healthy Reflections. "Having a positive attitude can deflate even the scariest situation. Overcoming adversity can help you achieve the extraordinary!"
Hi Kellie! I really like this post! A difficult thing for me to do is accept that things, especially important things, take time. Thinking about my life in huge spans of time, like you said 15 or 20 years, is daunting to me. Of course, I have my goals and a picture in my mind of what my life will hopefully look like, but thinking of the "meantime" is killing me! Somehow, I need to be okay with the journey, you know, getting there. I just don't know how to do that!
ReplyDeleteHey Allysa! It's so great to hear from you! If I'm reading your post right, you are having a challenge with knowing what you want to do with your life but you want to get their in a much faster pace than what you are right now. Is that correct?
ReplyDeleteI guess my first question would be what is stopping you from moving faster towards your goals? Are there things in your control that could move you forward? What resources do you have or need to move you forward? Make a list and start working on that list. Once we identify the roadblocks then we can move forward.
Remember all the "stuff" of the "meantime" is VERY important! I will tell you I TOTALLY understand your frustration! I'm just starting this new career in professional coaching and I've never known with a clearer vision that this is what I've been preparing to do my entire life than I do now. I can see with great detail where I'm headed and I've never been so excited with my life as I am now. I'm building and office and a coaching room and it i
OOPS! Hit the wrong button in all my excitement! LOL Anyway I meant to say that Tracy and I are building and office and a coaching room and it is taking FOREVER! BUT I'm focusing on my education while we are doing the building and I'm doing things that will help me practice while I'm waiting to be actually living that dream which is helping me out a LOT! Just remember that without the "journey" there would be no dream in the end! I'm grateful for ALL the things I'm learning along the way because I know without a doubt I will be a much better coach because of them. Celebrate all the successes along the way then you will see progress. Write down several short term goals and long term goals and as you accomplish them be sure and check them off to watch your list get smaller and smaller. Work on your goals every day if you can. Keep a journal to write this all in and as you progress go back and read what you've written to see all the progress you've made. THEN the GRATITUDE will come!!!! Feel free to email me and we can maybe help you through some things! Email: aspiringtofreedom@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteKellie
Yes, it's the journey that's killing me! I'm a really task-oriented person, I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I check something off my list. Laundry, check. Vacuuming, check. Exercise, check. Etc. But so many things in life can't be "checked" off! For example, a goal of mine is to raise healthy, worthy, responsible sons. When can I check that? :) How do I teach myself to love the journey, not just the ending?
ReplyDeleteWhat journey are you referring to? Raising your family or another journey towards other goals?
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