What You Thought The Future Was Going To Be
The hardest thing to let go of, is what you thought the future was going to be.
We get told so much about persistence and the merits of believing in one’s dream. And we’re only reminded that the world is full of other options, when we’re at the absolute dark end. But the truth is that life is full of a million possibilities every minute.
Great intellect may let you see these possibilities well in advance. And since we almost never pay attention to our emotions, we let what comes up, exist just so long as it’s convenient – feeling joyful at one prospect over another. And we respond to other feelings that come up, with dismay, confusion or worse – denial.
That’s why we also cling to situations and people long after they’ve proven themselves bad or even just irrelevant to us. We’re trying to recapture that first convenient feeling, assuming that’s the only (right) one to feel.
But the truth is, just as it is possible to hold several thoughts on one’s head at one time, it is also possible to feel a lot of things for the same person or situation, simultaneously. Acknowledge the flaws in that person you thought was so perfect, the unsightly bumps in that new road.
Honour the presence of all those feelings. They have insights for you. Understanding what they’re saying may make the difference between a crash landing and swerving away in time for the ride to stay fun.