Sunday, July 22, 2007

little steps

A friend once told me that I needed to take little steps to improve my life. It didn't go over well when he said it, either.

You see, I perceive my life as being more challenging than his. But that isn't fair, really, to either of us. Everyone has their own life complete with its own challenges and difficulties. Who am I to measure my challenges against his own? What looks easy to one, may seem completely impossible to another. What seems like the obvious solution to one, may not even appear on the chart of possibilities to the other.

It is often easy to look at another's life and see the changes they could make that would improve their lot. The necessary changes are not so easy to observe when you are looking at your own life. Probably because we see our life without objectivity. I know the pain and heartache that has led me down the path I've found myself on, the path I've chosen. So I also know how hard it will be to walk back up that path one little step at a time.

Friends can point to the little steps we can take to improve our lives. The challenge lies in being open to those suggestions and then actually taking that first step forward.

4 comments:

Poodles said...

The irony is that once you start taking steps for one path, some asshole seems to trip ya with a stick. I think sometimes you get to an age where all you can do is tackle one "thing" and hopefully finish it before the next "thing" comes along.

Tommykey said...

I find that in moments of contemplation and instrospection, I get a better idea of what needs changing in my life than anything anyone else can tell me, though I do appreciate constructive criticism once in a while.

Sean Wright said...

Then you pick up that stick and beat the arsehole with it.

If have self depreciating thoughts for long enough then you can get stuck in a prison of your own construction. We are what we think/believe.

Little steps, little goals, granting yourself a little kindness from yourself will achieve something.

Aiming too high and expecting too much will result in failure and reinforcement of the self depreciation.

Little achievements will build into big ones - look at evolution ;)

Poodles said...

Sean,
Ha! Trust me I have beaten many assholes with some huge sticks.

Tomorrow is always another day. I am grateful that I have a great family and some of the most wonderful friends anywhere to help make it through the crappy times.

Sometimes you just need to say "fuck it" and plow through life as you know it.