Day 63 (Sixty-three) of 365 days

"So how do you break out of this destructive cycle?"

This was the question I needed you to provide an answer to in my previous post. Were you able to? Let’s dive into how I did mine. Well first, I needed to learn how to let go of a lot of preconceived notions about where I thought I would be by the time I reached a certain age. Ultimately, I found the answer in meditation. Through meditation, you learn how to become present.

Most of us never learn to appreciate where we are at this very moment because we’re so focused on what happened (or didn’t happen) in a past that no longer exists and worried about a future that hasn’t happened yet. Meditation taught me that to compare ourselves to others is the root of human suffering because it creates a separation between ourselves and someone else. A duality. Them and us.

Armed with this new perspective, the next thing I did was to review my life and my experiences to figure out what was working and what was not. This brought me face to face with a rather harsh reality. As much as I like myself to be a caring person, I realized that I'd spent most of my career focused on my own self-interests.

With that came the realization that each of us has a unique story to tell. That's why we're here. And I'm supposed to help people tell theirs. Suddenly, everything felt different like I had steered the boat back on course. Like a new chapter.

Suddenly, that really successful person I follow who I want to emulate, the one who seems so far ahead in their journey, finally, it all gets put into perspective. We think they just arrived where they are today. We never got to see all the years spent toiling away in obscurity. Experimenting, missing the mark, failing. Trying to figure out the very things we're looking to figure out now. Until they honed their craft to excellence and were finally rewarded by the world for their efforts.

We never stop and give ourselves a break for simply being on the path. It may be a path of discovery. It may be a path toward a specific direction. Or it may be a path away from our old ways. But you're walking the path. Celebrate that!