Image by Jan Alexander from Pixabay
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus
Recently I had the feeling of being out of place. You know that feeling you have when you arrive at a new town or take up a new job and you are excited and yet lost. The feeling came over me a few weeks ago. I can’t shake it. It’s like I am learning where the grocery store is, the closest gas station, the post office, and all the rest. Have you ever had this feeling?
To solve this problem, I looked for a solution. I ran across an article that suggested that once in a while our mental landscape changes. It isn’t drastic or anything, but produces the feelings of being out of place. It suggested a few things: 1) Set new goals. 2) Create plans for those goals. 3) Execute the plan with your whole heart. 4) Set even newer goals if needed and so on.
I went through this exercise yesterday and I have to admit that it is working. I spent most of the last two days examining my current goals and decided there were a few of them that weren’t worth the trouble. Then I created some new goals that aligned better with where I am today. Most of my goals stayed, but the exercise was worth it.
Going through this exercise caused me to realize that my goals weren’t the problem—my way of approaching them was. I was “going through the motions”. I wasn’t putting my heart into my daily goals. I was giving less than I am capable of.
Do I still feel a little lost? You bet. These feelings occur from time-to-time. It takes time to adjust to our new surroundings, even if our new surroundings are the same, but viewed through a different set of eyes or mindset. Be patient with yourself. Reexamine what you are doing with your life. Look at your motives. Why are you pursuing certain goals? What is the purpose? Does this ritual or routine still work?
I enjoy blogging because I can communicate to a wide audience and discuss these kinds of things with total strangers. I hope this article helps you if you are feeling like I do. I will continue to seek new answers. For the time being, I’ll continue to work with what I have and see where this takes me.
Until next time…
Dave
