I love this picture because it describes my life in one fell swoop...I am constantly starting and finishing and often feel like it is in the same spot. Life is full of us starting things that should, once we cross the finish line, change our lives. But truly, we are right back where we started. Odd that.
But I came to realize that every time I start a new challenge to myself...a challenge to make things better...to grow...to improve...well, I do actually end up a little more ahead. Oh, not by much, and certainly not to the point of solving life's ills, but far enough to make me want to challenge myself again and again. And what I have really noticed is that those periods where I am "within" the challenge, I am finding a sense of happiness...more so than whenever I complete the challenge.
So, tomorrow I start yet another challenge to myself...a physical and spiritual cleanse of sorts. No, I am not shaving my head and handing out pamphlets at the airport, but with every challenge to myself comes a realization that we are all looking for the same thing...happiness. It's almost as if we are all born with that seed of happiness that is then hidden from us at an early age, and we spend the rest of our lives searching for that peaceful space where happiness reigns supreme. What I am finding as I get older is that when I make myself actively search and acknowledge that search..."the challenge"...it is the process that brings that happiness. So, here is to the next challenge...24 days. And this challenge ends with me visiting my Mom in Santa Barbara on Thanksgiving Day...now that's a finish line...or my next starting point!
But I came to realize that every time I start a new challenge to myself...a challenge to make things better...to grow...to improve...well, I do actually end up a little more ahead. Oh, not by much, and certainly not to the point of solving life's ills, but far enough to make me want to challenge myself again and again. And what I have really noticed is that those periods where I am "within" the challenge, I am finding a sense of happiness...more so than whenever I complete the challenge.
So, tomorrow I start yet another challenge to myself...a physical and spiritual cleanse of sorts. No, I am not shaving my head and handing out pamphlets at the airport, but with every challenge to myself comes a realization that we are all looking for the same thing...happiness. It's almost as if we are all born with that seed of happiness that is then hidden from us at an early age, and we spend the rest of our lives searching for that peaceful space where happiness reigns supreme. What I am finding as I get older is that when I make myself actively search and acknowledge that search..."the challenge"...it is the process that brings that happiness. So, here is to the next challenge...24 days. And this challenge ends with me visiting my Mom in Santa Barbara on Thanksgiving Day...now that's a finish line...or my next starting point!
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