“I’ll never spend another New Year’s like this one.”
“This is the last Valentine’s Day that goes this badly.”
“For my next birthday, things will be different.”
We say it every year, don’t we? Some holiday or birthday passes either disastrously or
too quietly and we take this “no holds barred” approach for the future and declare “this is the last straw.” Eh.
Better yet, we storm out of the door on a Friday evening from a “keeps-the-lights-on-but-drives-me-insane” job and promise ourselves we’ll start job hunting first thing Saturday morning. We say it, we mean it, and we . . . almost do it.
Therein lies the problem: “almost” doesn’t change lives except to add regret to our sum totals. I get it: there are times I wish I felt less and weren’t quite as passionate about what matters to me. Seems like having a more generalized approach to life would be just what the doctor ordered most of the time.
However, I know that’s not the answer. I owe it to the God Who made me to be as original as possible, even in a tempting age of cookie cutter platforms and “me, too” mindsets.
Too often we reach this “enough is enough,” forbidden DEFCON level when we’re less than enchanted with something and then decide we need a change. While this is normal, it is, in my opinion, not optimal. By the time you decide to separate from something that’s unhealthy or ill-suited, all kinds of compromise, pretending, and placating have taken place.
Let’s change our language: enough is too much. Be it a bad relationship, poor fitness regimen, dead-end job/career path or something in between, we owe it our selves to investigate how we need to move forward. If not, there is a victim who will bear the burden of our indecision or fear worse than anyone else: you.
Be kind to yourself. Be honest with God. And, be clear: you are enough, and your dreams
are worth the risk.
