The Other Side of the Mountain

I have learned that sometimes it is important to stop and see how far I have traveled. When you are in the midst of things it is hard to see your accomplishments. This is why, no matter how big or small they are, it is important to acknowledge your achievements.


Last week I reached my destination - the end of my journey - the top of the mountain. For 3 glorious days I was full of self esteem. I was assertive, without being aggressive. I was putting my needs before the needs of others. And when things went 'wrong' I just found a way to move around that road block.


The thing I enjoyed the most about these days was the inner peace. Not only did I feel calm, cool and collected, but I WAS all these things and more. Being at the top of that mountain however was a bit like being in toe shoes on a ball on top of a spire. For a person who lacks the 'co-ordination' gene it was only a matter of time before I toppled over, and topple over I did.


But rather than worry about my fall, I have decided to pick myself up, dust myself off, and practice balancing. Some people have the natural gift of grace and balance, but for me this is all new. Rather than beat myself up about what I "should" know how to do I am looking at all I "HAVE" done so far.

I realize that I have "tooted" my own horn more than a few times in my posts but the accomplishments I am reflecting on this time are deeper, more spiritual than loosing weight or getting my green belt. They are about reinforcing and following through on my core values. Basically I choose.


I choose to live by choice. I choose to change. I choose to excel. I choose to be useful. I choose self-esteem. I choose to be respectful. I choose to listen to my inner voice. I choose to put my needs first.


I am not naive enough to believe that I can control my life, but I do believe that I can control how I deal with what life has in store for me. I get to choose how I will react, how I will deal with the situation, and how I will handle things going forward. I may never be happy with the outcome of the situation but how I will let it affect me will ALWAYS be my choice.


Ultimately life is all about the journey, not the destination and it is important to savor the bad times as well as the good because it is the "bad times" that brings out the best in all of us. It is from the 'bad' things that we learn. 


Peace