A reader of my blog sent me the following note in response to my post about what happened to me outside of Starbucks yesterday on my birthday.
She said, “The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” I love this quote for many reasons. It’s motivating and powerful, and exactly what I needed to hear after that coffee experience and what I’ve been through this year.
We are all going through a lot right now with the coronavirus pandemic. I think it amplifies any feelings of grief and our anxieties and stresses.
Life as I knew it changed in every way last summer. People who I thought would be in my life forever turned out to be my worst enemies. I was betrayed, blindsided and not equipped to handle it. A year ago if you would have told me I would be single and an entrepreneur I would have said you were crazy.
A funny thing happened through all of this – I realized that the life I thought I wanted was wrong for me in every way. I was holding myself back both professionally and personally and got too comfortable with a partner who was wrong for me and in a job that I had outgrown. I didn’t listen to my intuition (or it kicked in too late). I let my guard down because I thought I was safe, and I didn’t listen to my gut or pay attention to red flags.
Sometimes you want something to work so badly that you put on blinders and only see what you want to see. I was with the wrong person from day one. We wanted different things out of life, and we fundamentally see life differently. My job also felt wrong after awhile, but I got comfortable. I remember thinking “is this it?” when it came to my personal and professional life. I couldn’t be myself at home or at work or enjoy the present because I wasn’t truly happy. I get so focused on my goals that I ignore these feelings. The universe has a funny way of correcting this even if it is painful.
Alannis Morissette says in one of her songs, “life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything is okay and everything goes up into flames.” I couldn’t have put it better.
Life is scary for everyone during this pandemic, but we must believe in ourselves, trust our gut and cut out anyone who does not have our best interests at heart. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me after I posted the story yesterday and to those who wished me a happy birthday. Don’t give up. Trust the process. Be yourself. Be safe and be kind to each other.