The Attack of the Optimists.
I had an interesting interaction with someone the other day. Each post written by this person clarified that they were frustrated, angry, and disillusioned with their work. They felt helpless to make change in the world- because so many things were outside of their control- like the economy- seemed to have conspired against their success.
Every encouraging word written to other people was responded to by this person and chalked up to "luck." For the people who have worked really hard to become successful in business- it can feel like a slap in the face to say "you are just lucky."
And on the other side, for this person to believe that success is possible (even in a bad economy) might mean that they had done something wrong, or worse yet that there is something wrong with them at their core that keeps them from being successful.
Now, I have NO idea whether people who are successful are just lucky, and people who are unsuccessful are unlucky. I have worked with a relatively small group of people when compared to the billions of people in the world.
What I do know, is that for me, I have to believe that I have some semblance of control in the world. Even as a spiritual person, as much as I trust my higher power, a value I hold is meeting halfway and doing the work. Ultimately, I even believe that I could do something that is horribly wrong for me, even if my higher power had a better plan (which I why I try to align my actions with my purpose).
Now, sometimes that means that I have to take a hard look at myself and do some inner work when the butts up against something painful. I mean think about that belief for a second:
I believe anyone can choose to be successful and live out their purpose.
I'm unsuccessful or not living out my purpose = I'm doing something wrong... maybe even something wrong with me.
Ouch...
I may seem pretty confident (and for the most part I am), but I have some raw spots. In fact, I grew up as a wall-eyed gal with a patch over one eye and thick coke bottle glasses. Every once in a bit- a bump in the road- if it hits the right spot can send me reeling a bit.
However, the more I become aware of this process- the more I see this as an opportunity to work on the issues that come up, heal, and continue moving forward. I now almost relish the bumps and the uncovering of painful, raw spots because it means I can move forward more and more into who I am truly meant to be.
So, do I believe that people are just lucky or unlucky? No. Do I believe that there are forces outside of my control? Absolutely! But ultimately, at my core, I know I make choices every day that will either lead my further in the peace of living out my purpose, or I make choices that take me off course and leave me feeling frustrated, off-kilter, and just a little bit angry.
So I choose today to continue living into my purpose. I congratulate the success that is there for each person and the hard work that went into them getting there.
I also choose to send kind successful energy to those people who feel helpless to get where they want to be and hope that they will find their path to joy and peace as quickly as possible. Because, to be honest, we all know how painful it is to feel like life is outside of our control.
