25 Feb “Disappointment… haunted all my dreams”
Think positively and positive things will happen. I saw this quote recently on a wall decal and was taken by its simplicity. If only life could be so easy. However, there is some truth in its meaning. Most counsellors, spiritual guides, psychologists, et al… agree that, to achieve what we want, we must have a positive image of it in our minds. And the opposite happens too. When we think negatively, more often than not, what we don’t want to happen, does. It’s like bad karma.
Disappointments are a part of life. Even with the best-laid plans, something can go wrong. It’s up to us to use this to our advantage. To mould these into opportunities that will motivate us to try again. To spur us on to achieving our dreams; to making them a reality rather than wasting the opportunity to succeed. Sometimes, we need to have a kick in the rear end to stop us from dreaming too much and too big. Sometimes, we actually need to get back to looking at our goals; to planning the steps to make them possible and working through these, one at a time. Sometimes, we lose sight of the goal post and we kick aimlessly in any direction, flailing with little co-ordination.
So, what should we do? We need to go back to the basics. We need to start again; not necessarily at the beginning, but where we started to lose our way. The part where we lost sight of what was important and started to see another vision, maybe too grandiose. It’s all right to have ambition and aspirations. It’s not all right to fantasise about the end result; being delusional, without having a clear pathway that is required to reach it.
Sometimes our heartache is created by our own expectations. What we must not let it do however, is dampening our spirit or darken our tomorrow. Our future depends on how well we get up, dust ourselves off and say, well… that didn’t go as planned! Yes, we can take time to lick our wounds, to feel embarrassed and maybe even a bit of a failure. We just don’t have the luxury or the occasion to let these thoughts be the ones that guide us forward. We are bigger than that. We are better than that. And do you know why? It’s because, deep down, we know we can achieve what we honestly put our heart and soul into. We need to believe in ourselves, in our abilities, whether they are innate or learned. Success doesn’t just happen. It is created. Its birth comes from that initial dream. What helps it to grow is the nurturing it receives through hard work and focus. Focus to achieve one step at a time and, inch by inch, we will get to our Holy Grail. Our goal. Our purpose. And that’s all we can do, and hope it is enough.
If not, then maybe we need to say I gave it my best and accept that sometimes some things are just not meant to be. There is no disgrace is not achieving our vision; there is disgrace in not failing to do all that is required to attaining it.
As the late, great Martin Luther King, Jn. said, We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
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