On Fire and Ice.

The Fire

I think a lot of us have a passion, or passions, in life.  Because there is something that keeps us going.

And many of us are blessed, whether we realize it or not.  Maybe we have food and water.  A bed.  Time.  A chance.  Maybe we are simply alive today.

So if I am blessed, and I have a passion, and opportunity, I should want to hop out of bed every morning, right??

Maybe not.

The Ice 

I hit a point for quite a while where I had great goals, but when I had to put a foot forward to start my journey, I froze, for several reasons.  Some of which were...

Overwhelming.

It's overwhelming to think of accomplishing our goals sometimes!  Here is a common goal I think a lot of us have tried to achieve at one point or another - weight loss.  We often don't want to lose just 1 or 5 pounds, but 20!  30!  And that's thousands of calories!  And hours of time!  And days - weeks - months.

So when the future comes in to our minds, so does the lethargy - don't get out of bed, don't cook for yourself, don't work out.

There is obviously a mental ice block we need to overcome.  We believe we are failures if we deviate from the weight loss plan for a meal.  Or a day.  Or don't see results.  Or try to live up to unrealistic expectations.  It's so important to focus on the moment.  Living in the moment can calm down this anxiety immensely.  We can enjoy our food, value our food.  Feel the strain on our muscles.  Become excited to get up in the morning a bit earlier than we did before.  We can see the value of the small step in the day as opposed to the entire walk.


Security.

You may not want to be there, but there is something secure in your current state.  It is sustainable.  It is predictable.  In this current state, you know how to get by.  Another example of a passion waiting to be fulfilled is applying for a job.  Suddenly we have to face possible acceptance, possible rejection.  We have to be willing to be appraised by our ability to fulfill the position requirements more than someone else is.

Take a deep breath and dive in.  It's the moments that you take a chance that are worth living.  It's the chances we take that give us victories and losses to remember and learn from.  And the glass is always half full - even if you don't get one job, you can learn how to prepare better for a future interview, how to gain experience to be better qualified for a job, or find a job that better fits your current resume.  Again, it is a step forward, towards change.


If we ever want to realize our passions, we need to find ways to put that first foot forward, and the one after it.  And value the journey, not the goal.  Because there is just as much beauty in an everyday accomplishment as there is in attaining the main objective.