The biggest lesson for me in recent months has been that many things come into our lives to teach but not necessarily to stay. Knowing the difference between the experiences is generally the hardest part to figure out. Some lessons may drag on a while and others may be very brief. Some experiences are so instant and exciting they are serendipitous, and others are so obviously fleeting that you know just to enjoy it while it lasts. What has helped me to differentiate between what is meant to teach and what is meant to stay, are the things that are meant to stay generally bring us a feeling of total peace.
Life Lesson #7 – If you don’t have that feeling of peace, or if you find yourself consistently questioning your decision, chances are it’s most likely in your life to teach. No matter how intriguing the package may be.
They say chance favors the prepared mind and that’s exactly what life is about. Lessons and opportunities to grow that prepare us for the next phase in our lives. There have been numerous times things have left my life for reasons I didn’t understand at the time but in hindsight everything made total sense. There was always a lesson I needed to master or on many occasions something I was protected from. When you truly learn to trust your gut it will never lead you astray, it will always let you know when something just feels – off.
Sometimes we are quick with our intuition and other times we are so excited about the opportunity in front of us that we often ignore the giant red flags staring us straight in the face. As I have mentioned before though, life will continue to give you the same lessons disguised as new experiences until you can finally learn and move forward. Humans are complicated though, and sometimes because of old wounds or past experiences, we run back to the exact same things that keep us from moving forward because it’s all we know. Or even worse, stay in a situation we know we have outgrown but choose not to because let’s face it, completely starting over sucks most of the time.
I’ve been there and I’ve settled for less than I deserve. Settled in relationships because I didn’t want to start all over again. Settled in my career because I was comfortable. All the while ignoring that feeling in my gut telling me to move forward. It’s really hard leaving a situation that no longer serves us but what’s worse is holding on to situations that are just meant to be lessons and never being able to move forward. Be thankful for the lesson and let it pass.
It may take a while to get to get what you want in life but the lessons will come and go, and what’s meant to be will always find a way to stay.
Question: What are some experiences in your life that have come to teach but not to stay?
XOXO
ET
