I'm writing today for those people who might feel like giving up. I'm writing for those who don't see how things can change. I'm writing for those who have been hanging on for so long that their arms are tired, and their grip is slipping.
People put their faith in different things. Some people put it in God. Some people put it in other people. Some people put it in themselves. Wherever you choose to put your faith is up to you. And faith can be placed in more than one thing at the same time. I can tell you, though, that faith is the CHOICE to believe in something that is not yet seen. And that's what's important. Because what you believe in will dictate your actions or inactions. It's the lens that you view life through. So place your faith in whatever serves you to move forward....because where you place that faith is a choice.
That being said, I choose to place my faith in the FINAL OUTCOME. And the final outcome is my goal being realized...whether it's my goal of simply having a great day or it's a more complicated situation that I want to see drastically turned around for the better. We don't think about having faith when we know what to do. Faith is still there but we don't think of it as faith. That's because we have past experience that supports our belief. In these cases we don't spend too much time struggling....we just do what needs to be done or we just believe (have faith) that things will be a certain way based on the past. But when things don't go as planned, are out of our control, or we have no physical evidence to support a different outcome, THEN....faith becomes an issue for us. The longer things take, the more faith it seems to take. Because as time goes by the more we start to panic and think..."How is this ever going to change"?
I personally believe in a higher power. I choose to believe that this higher power lives in me and works through me. When I don't know what to do or how to make things change for the better, I lean on my faith that the final outcome will prevail, and I surrender the HOW and the WHEN to an infinite intelligence that's bigger than me to figure that stuff out. I just TRUST that the goal will be achieved...somehow...some way. I do my part by showing up as best I can and taking the steps I know to take, and then I let go and have faith in the end result. I've learned that struggling, worrying, and obsessing doesn't change anything or bring about my goal any faster. And it never helps me come up with a solution. A stress response only narrows the focus and opportunities get missed. Not only does it create more problems, but it doesn't feel good in the meantime!
We start to lose faith because we don't see anything changing and we can't come up with the answers. Our brain tries desperately to solve the problem and scrambles to come up with answers. But truthfully, if we could figure it out, we would have already done it!! So that's when we have to step back and have faith that eventually a way will be made known to us or things will unfold without our intervention. If we could have faith that all will work out perfectly and that goal, (which hopefully we have mentally seen and rehearsed, see Arrow Tip #18) will pan out, then we could renew our strength. Even though we don't know how or when things will change, we can still keep moving forward. And if we really CHOOSE to, then we could relax our grip and rest awhile, trusting with confidence that the desired outcome will be achieved.
Don't give up. Have faith. Lean on that faith. Loosen your grip. Rest awhile. TRUST.
ACTION STEPS:
Make a choice today to TRUST and HAVE FAITH that everything is going to work out.
Mentally rehearse the outcome you want rather than mentally rehearsing that things will never change. (See Arrow Tip #18)
Decide that you will let go, at least for a minute, and choose to believe that things are working out; you just can't see it yet.
Put your faith in the outcome you desire, KNOW that it's yours, and choose to believe that it will be achieved in the end. If you know what to do, then do it. If you don't then put your faith in whatever place that leads you forward and take the next right step. (See Arrow Tip #14).
*Remember: YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE!