My Life Wasn’t Broken; My Thought Process Was

It was hard to notice the changes that had taken place, because day to day, little seemed different. I was tired, but it was more than just that. Everything was always being viewed through a pessimistic lens, and it was starting to wear on me. I was completely exhausted. Drained. Depleted. Constant feelings of negativity had left me feeling trapped, with no way out.

It had become so easy to blame bad days on any- and everything external. For too long, I let outside factors affect me to the point where they had completely rewritten how I viewed things (that must be where “we see things as we are, not as they are” comes from).

It wasn’t until I took a hard look at where I was, compared to where I had started from, that I could see just how far off course my life had gotten. It took an embarrassingly long time to admit the truth to myself. After all, the truth is often ugly enough that of course we don’t want to face it, but need to, in order to grow.

And the truth is, I was deeply unhappy. Even worse, I had accepted it as inevitable for far too long. I was letting things I can’t control take control. Like a wave crashing over me, I allowed myself to get swept away, simply caught up in the current.

For all of the external factors contributing to my unhappiness, perhaps the worst part was knowing I had no one to blame but myself. It was not only on me to change, it was my responsibility.

This was a wake-up call: the realization that I am not just along for the ride; I’m in the driver’s seat. Being unhappy might have been my current truth, but it was not my defining one.

No longer willing to sit idly by and watch life move forward around me, I knew I needed to take control of the only thing I could – myself.

Of course, it’s hard to take action when you’re not sure where to begin. Part two of this post details what steps were chosen, and how, exactly, they were key in shifting my mindset. Be sure to check it out later this week.