Feelings of disappointment, lack of fulfillment, self-doubt, depression, and general sadness flood our minds when our expectations are not met. That awkward feeling of inadequacy, when we know that we are capable to get more out of life but can’t just seem to get it right, that moment when we begin to ask those depressing questions like why is my situation always different? Why can’t I just do incredible things and enjoy life just like every other person? Why am I so unlucky? Am I biting more than I can chew?
Negative thoughts like maybe I am not just destined for greatness, maybe I expect too much from myself, maybe I was not destined for success, maybe I should just settle for the little that I have, well in life there are two kinds of people the haves and the have-nots so maybe I belong to the have-nots since it is not working out for me; flood our minds constantly.
The debate continues within your inner-self…look at Jay, Jacinta, and Jake, we all graduated high school or college at the same time but they are all successful, it is not just gonna work out for me, come to think of it, I have worked so hard even more than them but I am just a failure, all those who looked up to me have now surpassed me, l can’t even pay my bills because I am investing so much in myself yet nothing to show for all my hard work, I wish I wasn’t born.
The truth is that we are all traveling through different paths, but are heading to a common destination. It is a fact that all streams flow into the sea, but they never take the same path; some may take longer but eventually end up in the sea. Be patient and continue to do your part and just as Proverbs 3:6 says, if you commit all your ways to God, He will make your path straight.
If at any point you feel like quitting and giving up, remember why you started in the first place.
Here is a short story to inspire you:
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.
She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.
“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “
Moral: In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
Source: rishikajain.com
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