#11 Rough Takeoff

What do you do on that fateful day when you give up hope? When strength escapes you and you grow weary from the cold that surrounds you. As the bitter frost creeps deep into your bones, crippling you from within, where do you turn for rescue? Wherein lies the halt to your perilous plummet? You climbed to those great heights where stars are born, and now discover why they all die: the land bears no fruit. It is desolate. Where can you go from the frozen heights?

I told you that poet-guy would be back! Maybe that got a little confusing, but here is the question that I want to cover today: what do you do when you are completely out of hope? When a cause seems lost, or impossible, how do we carry on? Or even should we carry on? Let’s dig into this. 

First of all, when all feels lost, should we carry on? I think so. I’m not one to blindly carry around whatever I’m feeling. It adds extra weight that I don’t need for the journey. But those feelings are like a child and sometimes that child needs to be taught right from wrong. The other day I was at the gym and I really felt like quitting on my curls. I took a brief pause and thought to myself “I can’t do any more of these. I’m done!” But something deep inside of me disagreed, so I raised my arms for one more. And you know what happened? I got all the way through it. Sometimes we need to carry on with the intention of feeling it later. 

But it does add extra weight to our journey. And that weight can often come from the takeoff that we had. The childhood upbringing that started our life’s journey can often hinder us from progress, keeping us from growing and progressing mentally. We may even look down to discover that we have been flying far longer than we realized, but we were so blinded that we couldn’t see it. Mentally, we can get stuck in that place where we lost hope. Even if it’s warm outside, we can still remain frozen for a while. 

And while we all know that we’ll eventually warm up if we stay inside, our minds often need special care to catch up to the real world. We have to take some time to look at where we are, and assess whether or not our feelings are justified. And if they aren’t, we need to take special care to nurture them back to that place of health so that we can progress in a healthy way. We need to go back to the day where we fell down and remind ourselves of how much we have grown since then, noting how much things have changed both in us and in the world. Then the mind can continue to grow as it ought to. 

So take some time to tell your story. Whether that’s in writing, saying it out loud, or even to a friend, take some time to look at the takeoff that you had, and the ways that it has impacted your flight. Many great stars die not because they can’t fly, but because they weigh themselves down with the idea that they can’t. Let your mind recall your life when you aren’t feeling great about it. What thoughts come to mind? Do they really seem true? Try to pick some specific things if you can, and see if you are actually incompetent in those areas, or if you are simply grasping at straws. 

Ultimately, you have the power of flight. You just don’t believe it sometimes. And that’s normal. But I pray you learn to see your power for what it is. I pray you are liberated from the self-made chains that hold you down, and that you reach your greatest potential.

Until next time

May Peace be your Guide.