Anyone who has made a conscious effort to improve themselves knows it’s an incredibly tough fight. We all understand that the exertion is what makes the progress and milestones that much more satisfying: it’s an uphill battle against convenience, against a society that, as a whole, tries to reduce the work we have to do to live our lives, to make things EASIER.
Since this only serves to make our resolve that much easier to break, it can be exhausting to tread the dogged path towards success. Often we are our own worst enemies, beating ourselves up for eating that slice of pizza, for not lifting enough at the gym, for not getting an assignment or piece of work done on time.
We set up walls to protect ourselves, routines to ease our path, like armor we strap on every day, the habit is what keeps us strong, and keeps us protected. There’s additional comfort in learning more about ourselves, where we are weakest, strongest, how to continue to rely on the only person who has been with us through the fight: ourselves.
What I’m saying here is that it’s easy to get bogged down in the monotony, tripped up by our own rules, to drown in our own resolve.. So just like you opened yourself up to the possibility of change, so, too, must you remember what it’s like to smile. To dance like no one’s watching, to take a chance on new friends, new opportunities.. to let in the love, happiness, and joy.
It’s in the cracks between everything: it’s the masonry that holds it all together. It’s OK to forgive yourself, and it’s OK to be vulnerable, and it’s even OK to get hurt again. You can’t block everything that’s bad, and expect to only encounter pure positives. As Ehssan said “Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life’s journey, remember that the black keys also create music.” ― The good and bad are equally cyclical: it’s our perspectives on them that define their severity. By letting in the light, we remember what it’s like to be human again – to hope.
humblepie: digital buddhism 