Today’s Gem of Gratitude #237

Today I am thankful for the ability to get out of my own way. It is ironic how many of the very obstacles that we encounter in life are ones that we place there ourselves. The irony of it all is that most of the time we have no clue that we are the creator of those obstacles. How easily we are able to note the obstacles that are brought about by external forces – the people whom we encounter, forces beyond our control, etc. Yet, the very obstacles that we ourselves orchestrate leave us essentially clueless as to their origin and reasons for existing. I know, baffling, right?

And of all of those self-imposed obstacles that we encounter, oftentimes we are the most significant one. I mean, maybe this is not the case for you, and if it is not the case for you then I salute you because you are extremely fortunate. But as for me, I have oftentimes gotten so far in my own way that the eclipsing capabilities of my own shadow onto my path in life have surpassed any that I could have ever imagined.

Now, right about now you might be wondering how exactly I have gotten in my own way. The number of ways that I have gotten in my own way is rather substantial, but I will lay some of the most notable ways out for you here in no specific order:

1. Over thinking things
2. Trying to do too much without knowing enough about the situation
3. Trying to do too much, too soon
4. Trying to take on tasks that are never meant for me to handle
5. Unwaveringly focusing on things that are not important
6. Attempting a task before the time is right
7. Thinking my way out of doing things that I know that I am supposed to do
8. Changing course before the situation is resolved
9. Allowing distractions to occupy my time
10. Not taking care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually

Now, by no means is this list all-inclusive. As is the case with most of us, because life and situations are ever changing so are my responses to the situations that I face. Some of the items on this list are things that I have rarely ever done, whereas others have surfaced on multiple occasions. The common denominator in all of those situations, though, was me, not others, not forces unknown to me, but me. And because, like many of us, I am so protective of myself and I have such high standards for myself, those moments when I have been the very obstacle that I have needed to overcome have been some of the hardest for me to acknowledge and face. After all, it is hard for most of us to admit that we ourselves have had any hand in dealing out less than desirable results in our lives.

Thankfully, though, I have been blessed to come to the realization that sometimes when challenges come my way I need to take the time to determine whether or not I had any hand in crafting those challenges. And that, my dears, in many ways, can be the first step to freedom. #lovebythedrop