I was writing a short story (not the one I posted this yesterday) and wasn’t sure what I wanted it to be about, so, in trying to piece together the ideas I was circling around, I ended up making this list. Unsurprisingly, these are just thoughts I cycle through fairly regularly and find helpful:
No one’s coming to save you or give you purpose. This existence is your responsibility.
You might have an appreciation for other people whose drives and makeup are different from yours who’ve done work you value or have lived well. What works and what’s possible for them can be inspiring but not necessarily how it will be possible for you to do the same.
There is no single thing to focus on that will save you. No single solution to all of your problems.
Following what calls to you is worth it despite its only guarantee being knowledge of where that journey takes you.
There is a kind of freedom and joy in hopelessness.
It’s possible to have drive without sheer force of will and self-manipulation as its engine.
Meet what is, instead of or ignoring it or convincing yourself that you feel differently about it.
Surrender to reality as in “Whatever’s in front of you is whatever you’ll have to deal with, and wishing it weren’t so, longing for an alternate reality, doesn’t get you closer to having one so much as it makes your pain and confusion in this one more potent.”
You can accept pain, difficulty, and longing and transform them into something else.
Sometimes you don’t need more time but more risk-taking, more support bolstering that courage, more worthwhile and challenging action, and more exploration. Basically, the life skills to experience time as worthwhile.
You can only free yourself by facing what’s actually imprisoning you (often it’s you).
Face the usual suspects. Fear of failure, fear of death, fear of the uncertain/unknown, fear of disappointing/displeasing others, and grasping onto more time will be less of a concern.
You don’t truly know how you’ll respond to a situation until you’ve lived it. Every new situation is another instance where you can surprise yourself.