Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you always have options. Trust me.
Options are all around you
Right now some of you may be feeling as though you need a change. Shoot, chances are you’re not even sure what that change should be. Further yet, you may even be laboring over whether or not your strong feelings of wanting change are “okay”. Don’t worry, in my experience this is all pretty normal.
That said, I have one question for you: do you feel this way because you are living a life out of line with your purpose? Have you ever defined what your purpose is? Are you actively working to do something to affect change, or are you just sitting around complaining about it?
Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself
Why do you think you are having these feelings? Can you key in on some of the main sources of displeasure in your life? If you haven’t yet, sit down and make a list of what you like and dislike about your situation. About where you are and where you’d like to be. About what went wrong, and what needs to go right from here forward.
Perhaps you feel as though you’re a poster child for the sin of discontentment. Been there.
Maybe it’s worse. Perhaps you feel abandoned, alone, misunderstood, over worked, under appreciated, under valued. Sound familiar? I’ve been there too. Heck, in a lot of ways, I’m there now. Sure, some things are good, and I should probably be focusing on those things rather than the things that exacerbate discontent… but, whatever… sometimes I just want to wallow in my own self pity for awhile. And that’s okay too – as long as I don’t stay there.
To help ourselves out of places like this we need to analyze our situation unbiasedly, examine what went wrong, then humbly accept fault for past improper decisions, and forge ahead with purpose, strength of resolve, and character.
It is easy to become fearful at this point, to be afraid of the course we know to be right, to sink back into a corner and carry on with the daily routine that got us here in the first place. But that’s not the right thing to do.
“Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.” – George Bernard Shaw
Be patient
Many times, overcoming an undesirable situation takes longer than we wished it would take. Much longer. This is okay, patiently working our way out of bad situations builds the character we’ll need as we move on to pursue future plans.
Just make sure you do something to affect change in your life. Analyze, plan, then act… and do it all with patience.
Remember… you always have options.
This is worth repeating.
If you don’t like your debt, you can always make changes. Save money, sell stuff, rent out your home and live in a mobile home. Whatever you do, don’t be too proud to lower your standard of living as a way to free up resources. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University is well worth the $100, perhaps you should enroll.
If you don’t like your job, you can always walk away from it. You’re not an idiot, you can get a different job while putting your plan in place. Better yet… stick it out a little longer while formulating your next moves. Just be sure you do something.
You always have options… it’s just a matter of doing something to create change rather than wallowing in the piggy mud puddle of discontent while doing nothing to change it.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33