Last update: July 17, 2015
Success in life is therefore not measured by the goals achieved, but by the obstacles overcome.
Life is a journey. This representation of life is a metaphor used since ancient times, both in the context of literature and in that of psychology. And we all know that it is not really a straight and simple road: there are ups, downs, detours and many obstacles to overcome. However, one must always go ahead and keep walking.
The problem arises when we leave this path, and not to take a tour, but to enter a dead end street. It happens often and, many times without us realizing it; we think it is a shortcut, a way to continue our journey and, without us expecting it, we are faced with a wall.
Sometimes we stand still at the end of this road, staring at the wall without understanding why there is no exit or waiting for a door to magically open for us. We suffer because we cannot go forward, but we do not go back, we stand in front of the wall, sad, hitting it in despair.
Let's leave the metaphor for a moment and focus on our daily life. There are situations or people who lead us nowhere, who leave us in that dead end street. Relationships, friendships that are not good for us or that have no future, but to which, despite this, we cling desperately. Projects or works that distress us, which give us nothing, but which we cannot give up.
When we find ourselves in a situation that hurts us and makes us unhappy, we must stop and think: “Am I overcoming an obstacle or am I stuck in a dead end street?”. If it is the first case, then you have to keep fighting. If, however, it is the second case, then it is essential to recognize it in order to close the doors and leave behind everything that prevents us from moving forward.
Returning to the metaphor, you have to breathe deeply, go back and leave the dead end street. Without looking at the wall we left behind. You have to go back to the main road, with its climbs and steep slopes, with curves and stones to stumble upon, but in the end also with all its possibilities and opportunities for the future..
In life it is important to get away from situations or people that paralyze us and do not bring anything good to our life. We are convinced that letting them go is painful. We think we are not capable, we mentally evaluate everything that could go wrong if we did.
But it is not true, what hurts is the fact of holding on and the fear that things will change, the anxiety in the face of what you do not know.And. After all, the wall that prevents us from moving forward is something familiar and known and it scares us to face something different. You have to be brave, call things by their name and understand what the walls of life are.
Perhaps this wall is represented by the partner or an ex. Perhaps it is a friend, a family member, a work colleague. Maybe it's a job we don't know how to say no to or a course of study that seems suitable even if it doesn't correspond to our vocation. It can also be a pastime that we hate, but in which we work to make someone else happy.
Clashing with these walls more than once does not make us strong: it is a reason for anxiety, frustration, bad mood, sadness. And far worse: despair and conformity. Thoughts like “I can't do anything” or “I will never get out of this situation”.
Let's take a turn, let's turn our backs on these walls! Without feeling guilty for leaving behind the toxic people, the unfulfilling jobs, the things we hate doing. Without fear of what we do not know and the future that is about to come. Let's go back to our path and advance towards the goal we want to reach and the people we want to be. Without a shadow of a doubt, an exciting journey awaits us.
