What do you do when you do not seem to have the fancy life that you always imagined that you would have? This is a question that I had to answer for myself just the other day. I had to answer this question for myself because, though many people may look at my life from the outside and say that it’s a rather good life (which it is, I am certainly not refuting that), the reality of things is that my life is nothing like I imagined that it would be. I do not have the career that I thought that I would have at this point in my life. My relationship status is not what I thought that it would be, and when faced with the question of what my plan is for the future, I truly have no idea what my plan for the future is beyond doing everything that I can to accomplish everything for which God gave me this life.
So, what do you do when knowing that simply is not enough? My guess is that everyone would answer that question in a different way based on beliefs, life experiences, and current states of mind.
Now, I am not going to tell you that I have the perfect answer or solution for everyone. Nor am I going to tell you that I know exactly how anyone who is asking this question of himself or herself should answer it. But what I am going to do is share a little bit about how I choose to answer this question for myself.
The funny thing is that on any given day my answer to this question might change, because like most human beings my emotions can change from day to day. So, in order to avoid allowing my changing emotions to weigh in on my answer to this question I try to stick with the following steps:
Step 1: Find a Quiet Place
It does not have to be a fancy place or even a formal place. In fact, it can be as simple as a nice and quiet corner in your apartment that contains no more than a throw pillow and a rug. What matters is that it is a place where we feel comfortable, safe, and free to be alone with ourselves while taking a few moments to breathe and think.
Step 2: Pray
Take time to thank God for all of the blessings that you have and for the opportunity to go to Him and share your heart with Him. Then ask Him to help you to think things through properly and guide you to the answer that is correct for you.
Step 3: Ask and Write
Ask yourself whatever question you need to answer and then sit quietly and write whatever comes to mind without censoring or trying to format the thoughts that come. Simply write what comes to mind without trying to make sense of it and without trying to determine which thought appears to be the most appropriate for you.
Step 4: Look and Evaluate
Quietly take some time to look through the entire list of notes that you jot down, making note of anything that jumps out at or resonates with you. Then evaluate the items that you highlighted or made note of and select your answer from there.
Adhering to this process works for me when I commit to it. Rushing or omitting either step can drastically affect the outcome. Each step is important and carries with it a necessary relevance. Successfully completing this process definitely takes some practice, but the results are more than worth the effort. And as a firm believer in sticking with what works and making wise decisions, I recommend this process to you should you find yourself needing to answer a substantial question that currently leaves you baffled. Why not give it a shot? After all, it cannot really make things worse, and the possibility of actually receiving the direction that is needed might be just the right incentive to give it a shot. #sanguinemango
Sanguine Mango 