I have, I still do.
If you've read that marvelous treasure that is the Time Traveler's Wife, you will know how it feels, how I feel on some level - to be swept back and forth between moments in life, moving across continents to grab for your dreams; to experience cultural differences, loss and what it means to be human.
It wasn't an easy choice.
There are times when I feel like a fish out of water. When it would be so much easier to acquiesce quietly, to pretend I didn't see, or listen, or notice. At those times it's so tempting to just give up, to fit in, to stop making waves... especially when I encounter such fierce opposition as I have.
Do you ever have those moments?
When the critics come out of the woodwork to spend considerable energy shooting you down when they could be doing so much more by rolling up their own sleeves. You know what that means? It means you're doing something worthy of attention.
Don't let them rob you of your joy.
In fact, those are the times when you should be flattered by the challenge. You're a worthy player. And it is your sense of self-worth that should prevail. If it's true that life is cruel, that you get more of what you already have, it's also true that it's up to you to attract what you want into your life.
It was Rilke who wrote "Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave." It is in those moments when you feel most vulnerable that opening up and facing your fears and insecurities will break the spell that was upon you.
You will reveal it for what it was - just an illusion.
That's when you can shift into what if? mode. You don't need to block, all you need to do is to embrace:
- who you are
- what you feel
- where you go
You know why?
Because if it weren't for you, we would not have your creative energy, your smile, your beauty manifested. That's why. And the world would not be the same - without you. [special thanks to Chris Guillebeau]
This is how I keep my head up high. How do you find your "what if" moment?
[image by Michele Catania]