“What are you willing to give up for the future you want to have?”
This is the question I asked someone recently. This particular person has been, in their own description, mostly doing the same thing and not getting anywhere. It really comes down to that too, we can want things ‘til the end of time, but wanting isn’t action and it isn’t change.
We wouldn’t expect someone who occasionally goes for a walk to be able to run a marathon. No, we would expect a marathon runner to train regularly and align their whole day around choices that would be supportive of that goal. In that process of alignment, there will be things that no longer fit. It may be a way of thinking, a food choice, or myriad of other things.
Maybe you’re not looking at marathon type goals. That’s ok, the answer still stands.
Do you want a future with more peace and kindness? Are you willing to give up gossip, nitpicking, judgement?
Do you want more time to enjoy your loved ones? Are you willing to reprioritize your time and give up the things that aren’t necessary or bringing lasting joy? On that note, maybe you are done cleaning your bathroom but you shouldn’t quit that particular thing. Maybe what you’re willing to give up is the money to pay someone else to do it.
Do you want to be able to respond more gracefully and centered to adversity? Are you willing to ‘give up’ time every day for spiritual practice and meditation?
One of the biggest things we as individuals and as a community and culture would be helped by giving up is this: The belief that we can’t.
All too often we give up on the possibility before giving it the full opportunity to blossom. Real change or progress takes time and each person and situation is different. Our skin is replaced in about 39 days while it takes 10 years for our bones to be renewed. If our bones compared themselves to the growth time of our skin, they’d have given up a long time ago. I mean if your friend succeeded 93 times before you did, you might be thinking you can’t either. But maybe it just means your task is harder.
In closing we return to the question: “What are you willing to give up for the future you want to have?”
