“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”
William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Perhaps it’s the space I occupy; but why is it that people try to persuade me that their experience is more important than mine? So what if they have managed to beat their demons. It doesn’t mean that my (or your) life experience is nugatory.
We know when we’ve taken a wrong turn. Our error is not learning from the experience. Or having the courage to try something new.
Normally, I’m not one for applying hindsight, but, sometimes, it helps to do a wash up of your life:
- When you were most alive
- When you were happiest
- When you were in flow
- The times of least stress
- When every day was exciting
- The breakthrough moments
- When your inner critic wasn’t controlling you
If you coalesce this ‘experience’ and distill it down to a few things that you know you have to do each day to make the most of your life, it’s likely that you will rediscover enough about the real you to make more right than wrong decisions going forward.
I think too often we think the latest fad or published author is going to reveal something to us that we don’t know. It’s rarely, if ever, the case.
Call it gut instinct or a sixth sense, but the fact that you’ve got this far in your life must mean something.
This isn’t my success credo but a gentle reminder to do more of the things that move you in the direction you desire, and less of those that make you feel crap about yourself.
Too often we’re not disciplined enough to stop ourselves falling into a state of despair where we feel powerless in our lives. It’s in that moment you force yourself, through gritted teeth and sheer bloody mindedness, to say Hell Yeah! to the right things that change manifests.
If you’re stuck, it helps to talk to a friend or recruit, even for a short period, a coach. If nothing else, they are apt to remind us the beauty of life, and our special, life-affirming place in the world.
Next time you’re drawn to throw out some aspect of your life experience, stop and consider carefully if it’s really holding you back. Rarely do I think we have erred so much in our lives that we have to need start completely afresh.
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