"Sometimes it takes something cataclysmic for us to change paths..."
Becca Crawford
For the most part we are creatures of habit. We stay the course. We fail to listen to the little warning bells the universe sends us day to day. Or maybe we sense the discomfort but are too afraid to change course. Too afraid for countless reasons. Until one day it happens. Seemingly out the blue. You didn't get into the uni course you so desperately wanted, or your partner up and leaves you, or you lose your job, or you didn't get that promotion, or you succumb to debilitating illness, or you lose a substantial amount of money, or something occurs that feels nothing short of cataclysmic.
The ground beneath you shifts so dramatically that the world as you know it is no longer the same. The door to your old life slams so hard it shatters before your eyes. There's no way back. You're officially in no mans land. The place of transition. The place where you've let go of the old (often by sheer force) but haven't yet grasped onto the new. The place where you feel stuck and confused. Standing on the edge of a precipice looking down onto completely unchartered territory. Frozen with fear. The universe gives you a gentle push. You're now free falling. But you see a trapeze in the distance. By reflex, you reach for it. For there's no other way. You move in this new direction. Like navigating a foreign country without a map. Overwhelmed and exhilarated all at once. You doubt yourself but you tell yourself all you have to do is to get through that single moment. One single second. And you do. And then the next second and the next. You start to feel the wind through your hair as you swing from trapeze to trapeze. You feel a sense of lightness and freedom you hadn't felt in a long time. You are on a new path you hadn't even known existed. What lies ahead? Mind racing, anticipation building. Somewhat haphazardly, you find your groove. You discover a new chapter, a new way, a new life. It was unexpected but the universe was nudging you towards it all along. You just needed a monumental push to kick start your journey.
Do you remember a time when life struck you a massive blow? It's those blows that force us like a sharp slap in the face to change direction or do something pivotally different.
Hardships are the catalysts that catapult us to greater heights.
Without them we wouldn't grow as strong or bright. Everything happens for a spectacular reason even though it might not be apparent at the time. But I bet you that each time the ground beneath you radically shifted, you look back now and think "that was the best thing that ever happened to me!" Sometimes it takes nothing short of a thunderbolt to make us sit up, listen and do things differently. But hard lessons make for adept students. Next time adversity strikes remind yourself that a more beautiful (silver lined) path lies just ahead.
