The Creepies
I know when they are coming! I can sense their presence lurking around the edges of my consciousness! They’ve been a constant companion of mine since I was a child — and I’m guessing that they’ve been caught hanging around your life as well from time to time! Who are they? Well, they are the creepies of course! You know what I mean — those feelings that slither their way into your soul and eat away at your confidence; chew holes in your resolve; cloud your thinking; cast doubts on your determinations! The creepies! Yes, they are always looking for an inroad — a path by which to capture our dreams and hold them prisoner.
The creepies are the agents of FATE sent out to undercut our abilities to rise above the mundane. Dark and shadowy, they prowl — nosing at the cracks in our lives seeking dreams to devour. FATE has a way of doing that to us — convincing us that whatever our current lot in life, it is simply meant to be — rendering us incapable of questioning or fighting against it.
FATE has other emissaries it employs to snuff out our dreams — family of origin dysfunctions; societal injunctions; religious restrictions — all working from time to time to eliminate the power of personal resolve! FATE positions itself as some sort of all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful entity that determines which of us will rise above to live the life of our dreams and which of us will only futilely wish for the life of our dreams.
The creepies wither your resolve and make your dreams seem far-fetched when they ask you things such as: “What do you think you’re doing?” “Have you gone completely mad?” “Who do you think you are anyway?” “Did you honestly think you could pull this off?” “Do you know how ridiculous you look?” “Do you have any idea how many people laugh at you?” “When will you come to your senses and put an end to all this foolishness?”
What I Know About FATE
First, FATE is Fickle! A belief that FATE somehow perfectly spells out the paths we walk fails to recognize the fickle nature of life. As easily as the weather changes, so does life! FATE’s fickle nature finds its essence in the circumstantial ebb and flow of life. Do I really want to trust the realization of my dreams to a force that changes like the wind?
Second, FATE is Feely! FATE depends on us to be carried away by our feelings of fear, uncertainty and despair! It feeds on the life that emotions create in us. It tears away at positive emotions leaving only those that would cause us to freeze into place and cease working to realize our dreams! Feely is different from intuition! Intuition often goes against the grain! It encourages us to take risks — step out on a limb! It guides us through the maze of “can’t” into the realm of “can!” Intuition is the substance of hope and faith! Feely is well . . . feely!
Third, FATE has Fingers whose job it is to pull us back into the mire of defeatist beliefs and actions. I recall a cartoon from my childhood where a character had fallen into a tar pit. Flat on his back he began struggling to extract himself from the sticky substance. With each move forward, the tar stretched from his body forming long, thin fingers that snapped back to the ground as he dislodged from their grip. One by one, these fingers fell away until only one remained. The character was exhausted. Unable to see behind him and discern the reality of his situation due to his focus to move forward, he believed that his efforts were in vain — that he would never be free of the mire. Just as he was about to be free from the pit, he gave up and only one thin thread of tar pulled him back. He was once again stuck never aware of just how close he had come to being free! FATE has fingers, but they are not all-powerful!
Fourth, FATE is not Final! As much as we are led to believe at times, FATE is not set in stone! It is not inescapable! Destiny is a synonym for FATE. We often find a skewed kind of comfort relegating our lives to FATE or Destiny. We are off the hook if our life is destined to be what it is, right? Well, I am firmly convinced that in large measure, we are where we are, do what we do and experience what we experience due to choices we have made and continue to make! It’s like this, have you ever bought a plane ticket to one destination and not arrived at that pre-determined place? I know there can be some exceptions due to weather or other unforeseen situations, but you see my point! We arrive where we arrive, experience what we experience, have what we have based on our choices! Our Destiny is created as we choose to embrace and engage the opportunities presented to us and make choices. WE choose our destiny!
Fifth and finally, FATE can be Fought . . . and defeated!
The Formula for Fighting FATE
Following are some thoughts about how to successfully fight the facade of FATE.
- We must realize that a Dream Conceived = Potential! We must all allow ourselves to dream the life we desire to have! That process establishes the potential of something different!
- We must realize that a Dream Written = Possibility! Rarely do we ever realize a dream until and unless we write it down enabling us to read it regularly! The more we read what we’ve written the more we believe in the possibility!
- We must realize that a Dream Shared = Probability! Accountability is perhaps the primary key to realizing dreams! When our dreams are shared with others we create the opportunity to benefit from the counsel and wisdom of others. We also take steps to eliminate excuses as to our ability to achieve our dreams. We are accountable to another person!
- We must realize that Patience Produces Results! Nothing worth achieving will happen overnight!
- We must realize that Perseverance Pays Dividends! The more strength we receive from the purposeful pursuit of our dreams, the more strength we will possess when times become difficult!
- We must realize that Persistence Prevents Purposelessness! The persistent pursuit of our dreams injects purpose into our actions, our conversations, our decisions, our relationships
I am hopeful that you will find encouragement to pursue your dreams with purpose, persistence, patience and perseverance!
Until next time . . . Peace . . . and Sweet Dreams!
Mark
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