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- October 31, 2008
Unpack that Trunk Full of Junk
Are you where you want to be at this point in your life? Maybe the better question is, are you where you think you ought to be? At midlife, many of us come to a crossroads where we are trying to figure out what direction we should go in next.
When I turned 40, I found myself headed in a new direction. It wasn’t necessarily by choice but I felt a light bulb go off in my head and open my eyes so I could see a lot clearer. After an ugly divorce, the loss of my job and some friendships, I knew I had two choices:
1) I could wallow in self-pity
2) I could pick myself up and keep stepping to the sound of a different beat
Eleven years later, I have a new wonderful husband, a smaller circle of friends, an entrepreneurial spirit and a new passionate attitude about life. I decided it was time to UNPACK THAT JUNK IN MY TRUNK!
No one goes through life problem free. The question is, how do you handle your circumstances? Do you try to ignore them and hope they’ll go away or do you allow yourself to nearly drown in a self-made pity pool?
Paul in the Bible was faced with constant challenges and opposition. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 he said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…”
Every opposition in your life carries an opportunity for you to learn, live or give.
Ask yourself the following questions when you’re facing some type of opposition:
1. What can I learn about myself from this situation? (What attitudes, character traits, choices, etc. does this situation reveal about me?)
2. How should I live in the face of the challenge? (Choose courage, faith, love, hope, etc.)
3. What can I give in the situation? (Give yourself another chance, give your time to help someone else, give the gift of forgiveness for some offense, give up your own pride, give up on negative thinking)
One final note, challenges are a part of life’s lessons designed to make you stronger and wiser not only in your personal and spiritual life but in your business dealings as well.
So girlfriend, what are you still packing that you need to let go of?
5 Responses to “Unpack that Trunk Full of Junk”
I’ve gotten to that point in life that everytime I come up against another life challenge a portion of my mind starts thinking ‘is this something else God wants me to use to help others?’ But along the way there are things that need to be let go of too.
By Kathie M. Thomas on Oct 31, 2008
You’re so right that we all carry baggage from one place to another and if we’re not careful, that baggage will weight us down to the point that we’re not moving at all.
Challenges make us take stock of our inventory and decide what we can keep in our baggage and what we need to cast away once we’ve overcome it.
I love this topic. I’m going to bring it up with my therapist. Thanks!
By Vicki M. Taylor on Nov 1, 2008
Whenever I’m faced with a difficult challenge I remember my grandmother always telling me that God does not send us more than we can bear. So I try to find the lesson I’m supposed to learn from the experience and then let go of it once I feel that God has told me it’s time. Not always easy. Sometimes it’s better in hindsight as I look at my life now and then look back at the junk that at the time seemed like a problem, but now I realize was bringing me to where I am today. That can make it a little easier to release some of the excess baggage being carried through life. Good topic, Bev.
By Melodieann Whiteley on Nov 4, 2008
Great post. I love how you focus on women in business, yet you’re not afraid to write about the emotional stuff too. Most sites like this don’t handle those topics, yet they’re a part of everything we do.
By Kelly Watson | Womenwise Marketing on Dec 2, 2008
i think that spiritual life is much more important compared to our earthly life…’
By Jose Perez on Aug 1, 2010