Tonight, I had a very raw, open, honest conversation with my
youngest daughter. We hashed out some things that desperately needed to be
hashed out. And, as we got to talking, I asked her if she had done what I had
told her to do. She cocked her head, in her inquisitive fashion – as she all
too often does – and said, “What”? So, I reminded her.
Draw Your Life
My child is an interesting creature. An artist by nature,
creativity flows through each and every pore of her soul. She is always
drawing, always creating, always in a mode where she pushes herself to be the
best, most amazing artist she can be. Honestly, what that kid can draw blows my
mind.
For Christmas, one of the people I work with gave her an
amazing gift: a sketchbook. But that sketchbook came with one caveat: she had
to draw out her life as she wanted it to become. As she vetted her frustrations
to me about where she is and where she is going (forward thinker as always), we
talked about what she wanted. Finally, after an hour long heart to heart, she
agreed to draw out her life… after I told her my story.
The List
As a writer, lists make sense to me. As a merchant of the
written word, as a smith of sentences, words are the most powerful weapon in my
arsenal. So, I broke down, and I told her a secret, and it’s a secret that (I
believe) will help anyone who reads this.
Two years ago, I wrote a list. I called that list my “Get
out Plan”. This list outlined what I wanted out of life and where I wanted to go. And I began following that list, everyday for six months. Then, a miracle
happened: not shy of just two months after I was ready to quit, I was given a situation that gave
me the inner power and fortitude to push forward, to not quit, to not give up.
Fast forward a year. Someone in my life pushed me to make a
different list. And while a minor tragedy (averted) happened with my house fire
three months after that, more good things came upon that horizon as well.
(Do you notice how the
timeline begins to decrease?)
Then, finally, I made a third list, again, at the prompting
of someone in my life who knew the power of doing so. And it only took 48 hours
for me to see the results of that one. And, since then, even after a minor
fallout…I feel happy, free and me again. No longer having to watch what I say,
for fear that the gossip police might take it and run with it…it’s a wonderful
feeling. It cut the marionette strings of my self-imposed slavery to the thing I love the
most: the written word; to self-expression. It allowed me to feel comfortable and
safe in my own environment again.
So here is my lesson,
my wish, my goal for you…
Make a list, draw something, take a picture, create a spreadsheet, make a sandcastle…whatever
muse works for you in your life that makes sense to you…and make that into your
tomorrow, your dream, your ‘what you want’. Because, as a very wise person told
me once, “After you put that energy out into the Universe, she will push you,
prod you and fight your backslides, all in the interest of not giving up on
you.”
And I guess that’s the trick isn’t it? Life is all about
finding the people and things and energies that won’t give up on you, even when
you are tempted to give up on yourself.
Your words have spoken loud and clear to me! I have taken that "leap of faith" while others already knew what I was capable of. For whatever reason, sometimes we doubt ourselves because we have paid too much attention to those that are insecure of our success. The joy in life is when you don't listen anymore, and choose to move past the doubts. It's invigorating to see your success before your very eyes because You believed in You! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You are always an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!! I'm so happy you liked it! :)
ReplyDelete