It was a couple weeks ago and we had received a good few inches of snow on top of the already several inches on the ground. I had to grab a couple things from the grocery store and ran out for just a minute. As I parked, I saw a lady tumble down in the median, a top a bunch of snow (where there would normally be grass or woodchips). And she just sat there. Concerned that she hurt herself, I rushed over to ask if I could help and found she was half laughing and half crying.
“Pretty sure I twisted my ankle,” she sighed. “This just puts the exclamation mark on an already crappy month. No year,” she corrected.
“Here let me help you,” I offered. Climbing into the snow, thankful I wore my snow boots. I held out my hand and she grabbed a hold. With some effort she gained enough momentum to stand up.
“I thought I’d use someone else’s footprints and instead of it helping me, I tripped over them,” she said, giving me a hug once we were both on pavement. “Come to think of it, I think I’ve been doing that for a while.”
“Excuse me?” I looked at her in confusion.
“I keep tripping, and even stumbling, philosophically speaking” she further explained, “And then wondering why. I’m not making my own path. And even worse, I’m not asking for help.”
I nodded and we chatted for a while. The irony was she was a local psychologist who helped others to find their path, and yet she had stopped walking her own. And now might have to start walking with the help of crutches with her twisted ankle.
One of my favorite quotes is by Steve Jobs – “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
It’s scary being your own unique person and seems so much easier to walk in the footsteps already made. The biggest surprise is that down the road there’s a good chance you’ll feel lost. Unguided. And as if you are going in circles. After all, the path isn’t being blazed, it’s simply being copied.
So how do you MARCH ON?
- Connect (or reconnect) with yourself. Rediscover or discover your interests again. You have a DVR and your shows can wait. I promise.
- Be courageous. Try something new at least once a month. It could be a new food, a language, a different kind of outfit, etc. It may end up being a wreck, but recognize your bravery.
- If there’s no light, use your inner light, or borrow one. Life gets dark once in a while, but even when you are your saddest, there is a light within. If you can’t see it, ask someone you trust to show it to you.
- Stop absorbing everyone else’s junk. Believe it or not this is the quickest way to lose your way. Helping is nice, but ask if you are truly helping.
- Don’t believe everything you think. Sometimes you lie to yourself because you’re afraid.
- Ignore the frenemies. There’s a lot of jealous and sad souls that are anxious to celebrate other’s failures. Nobody’s perfect.
- With each emotional “mile”, have a party.
You are worth the life you deserve. And marching on can be scary, and it can be exhausting and it can be different. You might stop for a bit, which is okay, just don’t stay too long in one place – there’s lots to see!
Believe,
Kristy Robinett
www.kristyrobinett.com
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