When you are a fan of positive psychology, there are ideas that challenge the typical approach we humans have about life. Our brains have evolved to expect the worst (survival wiring), so the notion of taking risks, operating outside of the comfort zone of familiarity can be scary and off-putting.
There are endless opportunities in our lives, opening like portals (or transition points) that allow us to make important changes. There are usually culminating events that build to these portals. In these events we’re getting clues that change is coming, and we either get excited, or we get anxious. If we get excited, we anticipate growth and new vistas. If we get anxious, we start to gather excuses from the Garden of Stagnation.
There was a mythical character named Sisyphus who was doomed to push a boulder up a hill, only to find that when he reached the top, the boulder would roll back down and he’d have to start all over again. This for eternity! When the opportunity for change presents itself, if we aren’t curious and excited, the anxiety we experience slams the portal shut and the boulder rolls back down the hill. The Universal Teacher will give us opportunities until our time is up, and they will appear in new forms.
Hopefully we become attuned to the appearance of a portal and we learn to recognize them and select a few to dive through, but maybe not. If life feels stuck and without possibilities, maybe examining the fears that accompany change will free us from our version of Sisyphus and his boulder.
Maybe some wish they had played it safer as they reflect on their lives, but most tend to look back at opportunities they didn’t seize with some regret. I think I’ll sit with myself and find a portal or two; maybe say “yes” when I would have said “no.” The only “no” should be “no regrets!”
With love, Rosanne