You know that old adage “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”? Well, today I found out that…I am the horse! Just like you, I have a ton of stuff (not exactly the word that actually describes it, but I’ll let you guess what word that should be) going on in my life. Some of which I have control over and some I don’t. However, at the moment, it all seems out of my control. Have you ever noticed that when you feel overwhelmed with life, life brings more challenges your way?
Seriously, I already felt like I was drowning in my day-to-day life, just trying to put one foot in front of the other. When suddenly, I was hit with a feeling of fear. This fear came so quickly it overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t even pinpoint where it came from. All I knew was that I was drowning, and this fear was pulling me further down."
So, what’s a girl to do? Well looking back on it now with a calm state of mind I realize that I have a Santa Clause-sized tool bag of techniques available at my fingertips. See, I’ve spent countless hours, and let’s not mention the amount of money I’ve spent. To learn these techniques just so I can add them to my tool bag. Oh, and have them available when I need them. But what good is a tool bag or the tools themselves for goodness sake if I don’t reach in and pull them out?
Honestly, that’s like hiring a handyman who arrives with the nicest most handsome tool bag full of absolutely nothing! Or worse, brand-new tools that are still in their plastic containers. He’s not going to be very helpful, now, is he?
Well, this was me! Drowning, overwhelmed, and at my limit. Yet did I reach for those tools? Nope! Not even close. I chose to continue to tread water, feeling the pull of the junk trying to drag me down.
I am not sure how long I could have continued without being pulled under, but it doesn’t really matter. Today it was as if someone flipped a switch or more to the point someone threw me a lifesaving ring and I suddenly remembered I am not nor do I need to be a victim of my life.
With that one thought, I was flooded with the memory of all of the tools at my disposal. Now a thought is just a thought, right? That’s right, I had to choose to use one of my tools to put that thought into action.
It wasn’t easy putting that thought into action. Wait, what? Did I mention I was drowning? Why in the heck wasn’t this the easiest decision in the world? Well, I felt tired and beat down, taking my control back felt like more work and if I am honest, I didn’t believe I could really change it. However, instead of questioning I did what seemed impossible at the time. I opened my tool bag, chose a couple of techniques, and began to clear my struggles. You’ll be happy to know I no longer feel like I am drowning.
Wowzah, did I make that sound like I just Tapped (Emotional Freedom Technique) away all my problems? No, not exactly. My dear you and I don’t have the power to simply tap or breathe away our problems. They still existed for me, and I still had to deal with each one of them.
So, what changed? Well, not only could I pinpoint where my fear was coming from, but I was able to release it. See the fear was of not having enough. Enough time, money, energy, patience, and strength. Because I let this fear well up inside of me, it grew bigger and bigger. Once I was able to identify and release it suddenly that feeling of drowning diminished.
As it diminished things began to get clearer. Instead of this ginormous weight pushing me down, I could see everything separately. Which allowed me to begin working on each area one by one. Now with the pressure released and everything, which was actually less than I expected, feeling manageable, I am back to taking on the world…in a good way! I am focused, more at peace, and definitely more in control!
When you find yourself in a similar situation, I want to encourage you to make the conscious decision to use your tools! And if you don’t have any…get some! I know it seems like the hardest thing to do, but you don’t need to wait for someone to throw you the lifesaving ring because you can save yourself!
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