My Line in the Sand

My line in the sand reappears often. I shudder when thinking of going into a new situation: Will I be accepted for who I am and will me, being me, jive with the group? This imaginative barrier is one that takes some self-motivating to get past.

We all have these moments of self-doubt and I believe they stem from that need of feeling included. Common bonds strengthen us and help us express ourselves especially when we are accepted for who we are.

One tactic I use is to mention it to others and they hold me accountable to go, knowing that I will enjoy it and take away something new from the experience.

After the event, I am glad I participated and feel good about myself crossing that line in the sand.

First Step

I know one of the hardest steps can be the first. Hey, you know what? You have already taken it by seeking me out, so you are off to a great start. Those steps from here on will strengthen your resolve and assure you as you gain momentum.

Along the way you may flounder and lose sight of the destination. Asking for a hand can sometimes feel like a loss, but we do it every day. Seeking guidance is not failure at all but strength of character. There are just some things you can’t do alone. Knowing when to reach out and who to go to will assist in accomplishing the task at hand.

I am that voice that gets you energized and moving.

Support

Whenever we contemplate change or ideas and discuss them with others, we occasionally hear only reticence and doubt, even when there is positive support. Change can be very frightening to those around us as they often wonder what your changes mean to them. Those feelings can inhibit the pursuit of your goal.

Regardless of the source, these chinks in the armor protecting your dream can add up. My goal is to get you to endure those moments, provide a shield to assist in deflecting those negative statements, and help you achieve all that you can.

I will walk with you along your path for a bit and be a guide toward your destination.

I’ll do it tomorrow.

This phrase is the bane of achievers. If something needs to be done or stopped, now is the only time to do it.

One consequence of not taking care of something when it needs to be is it is added to an ever-growing pile of things that will only hold you back.
Sure there are things you can put off until the time is right like laundry and dishes since both of those are more efficiently done in batches, but the big stuff needs to be tackled now.

The longer one hems and haws over an issue the more difficult the decision can be. It may be hard and quite possibly not that enjoyable, but if one focuses on the process and just plows through, it will be done and you can move on.

Get up, get out and get moving!

Failure is part of the process

Straight up – you are going to misstep along the way. We all miss the mark at some point. These are learning moments and it is how we let failure affect us that is important.

The best thing is to understand it will happen at some point. Failure is not the be-all end-all of things. It shakes you up a bit and may make you step back and question a few things – that’s okay! What you should take away is the lesson the failure gives you.

This is, after all, a work in progress, this life we are living, so we are bound to stumble from time to time. You have someone ready to lend a hand and get you back on your way.

Controlled Burn

Envision your mind as a vast prairie lush with growth. Daily needs interweaved with dreams and ideas. With such fertile ground, the area soon becomes overgrown and perhaps non-indigenous species are introduced that begin to choke out aspects of your true self.

In nature, a storm may come along with intense lightning and set the landscape ablaze. When man maintains a prairie, every few years we go through and do a controlled burn to, in essence, reboot the land. A number of plants in these habitats in fact require fire to germinate. The fire may also cleanse the land of the introduced species that did not evolve to survive such an extreme.

When you look at your life do you feel like you need a machete to clear a path? Perhaps what you really need is a controlled burn: a fresh start. Like the prairie, you can renew and live the life you should be. Essential needs will grow back and perhaps you will come across something long forgotten which was buried beneath the overgrowth.

This can be a rather extreme approach, but can be the most rewarding in the long run. It takes serious contemplation and may need someone to light the fire for you. Know anyone with a match?