oh these dark days of advent… they’ve got me all messed up in my head. i am someone who is always positive and i have a pretty good level of self confidence. but, recently, i have started doubting myself. wondering if i will ever accomplish the things that i want to accomplish… and, the shitty thing is, i know exactly what i want, and yet, i don’t do it. well, in some ways i don’t do it. in other ways, it’s all i do. hard to explain.
my love is finishing her last final exam today and what that means is that this part of her journey is over. she has reached her goal and accomplished it all with an amazing amount of success. i have watched her over the past 2 years as she decided what she want, fought for her life to make it possible, made it happen, and then reached her ultimate dream. she is freaking amazing. i am so inspired by her. and i am so ready to celebrate her achievements with her!
she even said to me this morning, with a beautiful smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, that she has made her dreams come true. and then, she told me that she knows that i will make mine come true too. and i saw and felt her complete belief in me in her eyes.
but i’m not so sure… right now, in these dark days, i’m wondering if i am capable of it (a thought that is usually so foreign to me).
i’m so big picture. so dreamy, with my head in the clouds. i have grand ideas and i plan them all out, but i have a super hard time following through. i cannot focus. i don’t work my ass off like she does. but, oh how i want to. and i know that all i have to do is actually just BEGIN. but, something is holding me back. something like myself. and something else takes my attention. like right freaking now – i am blogging this instead of reading through my journals for my book. what is wrong with me?
[ now, friends, this is not a “poor me” post at all. this is simply me reflecting and being totally honest with myself. i think it’s important to look honestly at ourselves, even if the truth is hard to see and it hurts, to admit. and, if you have read my blog for a while, you will know that this is how i process stuff.]
anyway, just as i was beating myself up more and more – yet so grateful for my love’s complete, unconditional belief in me, i decided to head outside to the balcony for a minute to snap a photo of this morning’s sunrise – something that i have now done every morning in december. when i came in, i looked at the photo for a minute and then stumbled across this quote that i have never seen before:
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” :: Henry David Thoreau
as soon as i read it, some of the pain + guilt that i feel was released. i realized that there is nothing wrong with me, and there are things that i need to change all at the same time. i’ve got the first part of the quote down pat, i’d say. i’m a pro at building castles in the air and dreaming big dreams, believing that they will come true. the foundation part, the part where you work with the universe to create your dream into reality… not so much. still, according to thoreau, i’m on the right track. and i’ve got people behind me. i always have. my love, being my biggest supporter + cheerleader.
but, i need to figure out what comes next. how the hell do i get stuff moving to the next phase? why am i missing some integral, motivational thing that others have? why do i want something to happen and then don’t want to do anything to make it happen?
of course, i’ve had dreams before… and i have made them come true. and, of course, i know that there is such a thing as timing – that things will unfold in due time, and it will all be better that i had imagined it. so, i know that i must be patient and work with the universe to manifest my dreams. but, i also know that action is freaking required. and right now, for my current dreams, it is here that i am lacking motivation/energy/willpower.
so, i will just send this post out there into the universe. i am not asking for any advice or anything. i am just rambling and talking. what i do ask is that you send some vibes and goo energy out there on my behalf, or think of me. i can use the inspiration. feeling this way is very very strange to me. i never feel down on myself. but, as the season of advent call for, i embrace the little dark, not so great places inside of me. i will sit with them. because know that the light is stronger, and that i will find a way to make shit happen. thanks for listening, dear friends.
Sorry you’re in that weird nebulous place between confidence and doubt; between motivation and listlessness. It’s really, really tough to get there sometimes, and I empathize with your situation. I feel like I’ve been there myself more than once in the last year.
I know you said you’re not looking for advice, but I can’t help myself! It strikes me that the thing about building castles in the air is that it really easy to see the finished product, and hard to imagine how to get there. But I think that the way to do it is to pick small, manageable goals that you know DO need to get done. To continue with the analogy, to build a castle, you need the stones. Now, maybe the stones aren’t the FIRST thing you need, but you ARE going to need them. So collect them first. Along the way, you’ll discover that you also need to dig a foundation, acquire the mortar, etc. But right now, if you don’t know that stuff, don’t worry; just focus on the things you DO need to do, even if they’re not the most important. Make it small, make it manageable, and put it on a list, so you can check it off when you’re done.
Or, completely disregard my advice. It’s your life, and you know yourself better than I will. You’re such a bright, talented person, and I’m sure that whatever you do will be successful. I just figured, if one little thing I say could bring encouragement, I’m going to try, even if you say you don’t want/need it.
Best of luck in all you do!
David, I think your comment was a super great inspirational pep talk. Thank you so much! It means so much to simply know that someone took the time to offer his thoughts and have my back. I am so grateful!
Good vibrations your way!
Thank you, dear friend!!! Love you!
Love you too, girlie!
Thank you for this. I, too, am fabulous at building the castle in the air… now I need to figure out the foundation somehow. Your words brought a great sense of possibility to me that I’ve not had for a few weeks. Namaste.
Shayla, I am so humbled that my words touched you in some way. We all need an extra little boost of hope right now. Thank you so much for reading, dear lady. xoxo Namaste
Hi Liz — I just wrote a post about not feeling motivated this time of year, so instead of a long comment I’ll just give you the link, along with a virtual hug. 🙂
http://megevans.com/2014/12/04/doing-enough-nurturing-thursday
Meg, it is so good to know that I am not alone in feeling this way this time of year – it’s something that I’ve never experienced this seasonal feeling. But, we will make it through to the light. Sending a hug right back to you! xoxo
I’m wondering, what belief do you hold about yourself or life that created this reality and when did it start/what led to believing it?
What reality are you speaking of, Leigh? The reality of how I feel right now? I don’t know if I understand… but, I’d love to ponder your question. I am so intrigued, but I can’t quite wrap my head around what you are asking me. I think that you may be directing me to question and think about something that may shed some light? If you can explain a bit more, I’d love that! xoxo
One of my first teachers used to ask that question — the idea is,, if you create your own reality then something you believe created anything that’s in your life from a habit to loved ones to the coffee table. So whenever someone has a reality with question marks around it, I start wondering what they believe that created it. If you go into meditation and ask what you believe that created this situation, often you’ll get an answer. The part about tracing back to origins (I also do that in meditation though sometimes I know as soon as I answer the first part) is to help in letting go. The questions just popped into my head as I read your post. And I “heard” you say you weren’t asking for advice, so I just thought I’d ask the questions… Let me know if you want more info.
Do deadlines help you?? Maybe you should set yourself some, realistic ones, but some dates nonetheless?
Deadlines for myself are crap. I have tried that before. I can only be accountable to other people – I have a super duper discipline problem… Haha. But, thanks so very much for trying! xo