Why is it that some people grow from their challenges, while others seem to get stuck or relive the same patterns over and over?
Perhaps it's because some of us try to avoid looking at the middle portion of our journey. You know, that part where everything fell to pieces, including ourselves? That part where we learned a lesson or two or three? That part of our story is always the most challenging to look back on. Many of us just want to shove those foolish, pain-filled moments out of our minds and move on because they hold the highest potential for shame. But we can't just skip over that part of our past, since it's there in the messy middle of our journey, where everything important happened.
When we're able to go back and re-examine that humbling middle portion of our lives and really understand and FEEL the hows, whats and whys that led us down such colorful roads, we heal and walk away with the wisdom that was meant to be gained from it all. Wisdom about who we truly are, and from that enlightened understanding of ourselves we are better able to embrace and really love ourselves again. You see, it frees us. Our refusal to explore the middle holds us back in life. Anytime we deny a difficult experience, it owns us. The shame and pain keeps us in it's clutches even if we think we have buried it well, because it shows up today in the form of blocks and barriers to our goals and dreams.
Looking back and reassessing the midpoint of our travels, shifts our perception and transforms how we face future obstacles. We start to believe in ourselves again, and in so doing, begin taking charge of our own narratives, which ultimately changes the course of our lives. Remember, even brave people fall and sometimes that plunge is a doozy. It's just part of this great quest called life, and it's an invaluable lesson. The biggest hurdle that holds us back in life, is getting stuck back there. So let's find resolution and begin living our best existence, by embracing all that awkward stuff we went through, in the messy middle of our journey.