Your Life Doesn’t Have To Feel Like A Broken-Down Truck
What If Feeling Stuck Isn’t Your Circumstance… But Your Mindset?
Listen here.
I love listening to Chris Stapleton. Even if you don’t like country music, you must admit, the dude can sing anything! Take “A Simple Song” for example.
It’s got classic country themes about a guy who:
is always behind in his work
has a sick dad he wishes he had time to fish with
saved some money but then had to fix his broken-down truck
doesn’t get along with his family
is hooked on cigarettes
has a sister who got laid off from work
To top it off, he has high cholesterol! But then… he steps back and sees the good in his life: his kids, his dogs, and his relationship with his wife.
Here’s the point. This poor guy has decided to settle and feels like he has no agency over what’s next. He’s a victim of his circumstances. In truth, each of us has things we’d like to be different about our lives. We can lull ourselves into a sense that says we have no control. Is that true?
Viktor Frankl said,
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
You do not have to mark time in life, letting one day float past the next. In most situations, you can take control and shift your mindset. I wonder how your life might change if you focused on what is going well? What if you saw the possibilities in the day ahead instead of what isn’t how you’d like it to be?
Here are some intentional choices I’m making that might be helpful to you:
I’m being mentored by others through reading books, listening to podcasts, and asking questions of people I know. It’s expanding my mind. Arthur Brooks has an excellent book, “From Strength to Strength,” for those seeking purpose in the second half of our lives. It’s a must-read.
I’m laying aside things that have no lasting value. I’ve decided I’m okay with being late to the party on the latest binge-able streaming show. You have to give up certain things to make time for what is more important.
I’m making myself useful. When I focus on my problems, it’s like climbing down into a dark hole and sitting there by myself. One of the best antidotes I’ve found is being helpful to others! Each week, I meet with at least one person to see how I might add value to them. It’s highly therapeutic, AND it helps others.
Am I perfect at this? Not at all. However, no matter your age or life situation, you have the potential to make choices that can improve your life. If you are not satisfied with where you are, don’t be OK with the status quo. Make a different choice this week!
See you next Sunday.
P.S. The Authentic Purpose Cohort starts soon! If you’re ready to learn and live your purpose with a small group of like-minded leaders, just reply to this email or DM me, and I’ll get in touch.
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I love that quote by Viktor Frankl (and loved “A Man’s Search for Meaning).
True ownership was a hard concept for me to fully grasp until it was put this way:
If you don’t like the weather, you can move. If you don’t like the hours of your job, you can quit.
We complain like we don’t have control but in reality we have 100% control. We just have to decide which trade off we want to accept and stop complaining about them.