I was thinking last night about how stuck we feel when we realize we are in a negative place. Stuck like a needle in a skip on vinyl.
We feel that there is no hope for forward movement, and we can hear the inevitability that it is we who are going to have to make the skip stop. Sometimes we hope that the scratch is sufficiently insignificant such that we can wait out the monotony . . . when all we need do is pick up the needle and move it to the next track. I sometimes “kick myself” after realizing that I have invested time into something that is, in all actuality, cancelling out forward movement and quality of life. But maybe this is part of life’s learning, and I should be easier on myself.
Regret is an emotion wasted. It is the groove that is holding the skip in place. By being present and freeing ourselves from being stuck, we are renewed with the energy that fuels our happiness in the present and our dreams for the future. By taking action and removing that needle, we allow self-forgiveness for those What was I thinking? moments. Time to move on. Time to put on a new album and move to a new rhythm.
Life is brimming with gifts and treasures and happiness. The discovery of this abundance is the best part of life for me, like opening a box that is filled with exactly my heart’s desire. Perhaps bumping up against those not-so-positve places is not the villain after all . . . knowing that I have the strength and the courage to get up from my spot of stagnant acceptance, pick up the needle, place it on its holder, remove the album, pick a new album, reset the needle. And enjoy. Sigh. It wasn’t that hard, truly. Time to move on to a better-feeling place and dance to some new music.
Who knew that being brave could be so liberating? Certainly not a unique concept for those who regularly beard the lion in the den before breakfast . . . but definitely something to consider when feeling stuck in a groove that shows no promise of movement. Move the needle or change the vinyl. Take a chance. You never know what wonderful thing might happen.
The Unseen Words Project 
We all have a place we’re most comfortable, feeling and viewing life a certain way, just as a rubber band, at rest, has an original shape. This is our emotional set point. Even if it’s miserable, it’s home. We can stretch ourselves in one direction or the other (toward feeling more positive or negative), but when the catalyst for change is eliminated, we want, like the rubber band, to return to our “normal/comfortable” home once again. Moving an emotional set point requires willingness and deliberate thought/focus, but it can be done. Every moment of our experience is a request for something. We can move from mediocrity to the sublime, one thought at a time.
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Great way to say this! I like the image of the rubber band. Comfortable vs. sublime? Let’s shoot for sublime! Thanks for your comment on this. Puts things in a GREAT perspective!
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