life goes on | David M Masters

Don’t slow your roll. You’ve done it. You’ve decided to make the changes necessary to start living a new life, a better life, your best life and make the world a better place. You’ve taken steps to start making the change, then your motivation just seems to wane, and you fall yourself falling back into the same ol’ same ol’?

Even if you’re taking baby steps, keep taking the action, no matter how small to move you closer to where you want to be. All these efforts are cumulative. Even if you miss a day, you can take another step tomorrow.

Certainly, there will be roadblocks or challenges which you will face along the way. Let fear not be one of them.

Facing your fear and not letting it keep you from doing the right thing is what life is all about. I know it’s an over-used phrase, nonetheless, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It’s all about perseverance in the face of adversity.

Keep on going.

What must you do to change your life for the better?

Do you feel your path ahead is not within your reach? Do you need to take some classes? Do you feel imprisoned by your current situation?

Regardless of how unworthy or incapable, you might feel, you have everything you need right inside of you.

Is there fear about leaving your job for one that will better serve you but will require sacrificing cash flow or security? The false sense of safety and security promoted by society and attached to your “job” is the biggest trap which is used to keep you in your own prison, to keep you controllable and subservient, preventing your growth and expansion.

Be willing to change your world, even if it means taking a pay cut.

Look at the heroes of our age, the people who stood up against what would be insurmountable by others. Who do you look up to? Study them. Use them for inspiration.

If you start thinking, “My life has been so awful,” consider those who have overcome incredible obstacles to live a better life and make the world a better place, take a deep breath and take another step.

Find ways to remind yourself of your dream and make it come true.

Just map it out and do it.

Remember to celebrate your wins along the way. Don’t expect approval or recognition from anyone else, this is your journey.

Looking for back up? Find those people who support you no matter what you do, they have your back. The naysayers? Don’t let them get to you. Kick them to the curb (or put them on hold), at least while you’re moving and shaking to make the adjustments and improvements necessary for your life.

Try to do something different every day. If you are able to do things differently in your life this may put you in a position to meet someone who is likeminded and more supporting, whom you may invite into your circle of influence.

There’s a big world out there, and you are gaining more and more access to it with every step you take outside your comfort zone.

By setting intermediary goal posts, such as completing a course of study, getting a different job, achieving a certain level of income, moving to a different location, starting a business, or whatever it might be, you can see the results of your efforts, and know when it is time to celebrate.

There is no limit to the number of goals you can have, and there is no limit to their size. The smallest of goals, like getting up without hitting the snooze button, or not watching the NEWS (Not Even Worth Sharing), or texting someone in your life a short note of support or gratitude, anything.

The more goals you have, the more you will have to celebrate.

You can repurpose your life and change it massively for the greater good.

You got this.

So, I’m headed to a meeting, driving down the road and up ahead I see a young deer standing by a deer crossing sign. I confirm, my headlights are on, and check the rearview mirror to see there are two cars behind me and one headed toward me in the other lane. I appear to make eye contact with the deer and I think to myself, “Don’t do it…”

What do you think happens next?

The deer leaps in front of my truck.

I stomp on the breaks, see and hear the impact from connecting with the deer as it vanishes from my view. Oncoming traffic and the two cars pass as I settle to the side of the road. I get out of the truck to survey the situation because the deer must be lodged under my truck.

As I get out and walk around the front of my vehicle I can see frantically flailing deer limbs stabbing the bank of the road. Overwhelmed, fearing the worst, I place my hand over my heart and think, “What do I do?”

Just then, one of the deer’s hooves grips enough traction in the side of the road to pull itself out from under the truck, apparently shaken and unharmed (though probably bruised) gains its balance, pauses (appearing to make eye contact again) then bounds off disappearing into the brush.

Checking out my vehicle while I make my way back to the driver’s seat, I conclude there was no damage to the truck from this interaction with the deer. I buckle my safety belt, put my hands on the wheel, close my eyes for a moment and thank God for His amazing blessings, then assess my surroundings, check the rearview mirror and resume my journey.

Life goes on…

Now, this wasn’t my first encounter with a deer; that was back when Sascha was in school basketball and I was three-hour-driving a minivan full of tweenage girls to their team’s basketball tournament. We were in the left lane. Three car-lengths ahead of us, in the right lane was a silver Lincoln. The girls looking out the windows spotted a deer alongside the right side of the road.

“Awe, look at the deer,” said Sascha, as the attentions of all the young basketball players focused on the deer, posing like an elegant diva for the girls to admire and fawn upon with coos, oohs, and ahs…

Bam! Without notice, the deer jumped in front of the Lincoln, hit, then bolted straight over the silver car, erratically tumbling through the air, flew awkwardly over the top of the van full of screaming girls and landing in the bushes on the opposite side of the road.

If you’re anything, like me, when you read the words, “What do you think happens next?” at that point in time and space, a dozen scenarios flashed through my mind, hoping the most likely option would be my nodding to the deer as I passed by.

At the, “Life goes on…” portion of my life jolt, as I continued to drive to my appointment, I imagined a hundred different ways this could have rolled out in real time…

Of all the things that could have happened, what had actually occurred would have been toward the top of my list of options, had I been able to choose.