I firmly believe that there are lessons to be learned all around us, if we pay attention to our surroundings and ourselves. Last week I was reminded of a very good lesson, and I want to share that experience with you.
As I was driving away from a client’s home and headed toward my next appointment, I noticed a wasp was clinging to my windshield. I was driving on an unpaved road, so I wasn’t going that fast, but the wasp was still clinging to my car like she was in the middle of a tropical storm and needed to stay grounded.
“Surely,” I thought to myself, “when I pick up speed the silly thing will fly away.”
I came to paved road, and the speed limit increased, but that bug was still fixed to the glass like her life depended on it. The funny thing was that if she stayed there, she’d be ripped apart by the force of the wind; her wings were already whipping all over the place and we had barely gone over 30 mph. But if she would just let go she would be fine. If she stopped refusing to move, she would be free.
At that time, I thought of how we tend to cling to situations and things we don’t need, maybe even ones that cause us harm. Sometimes it’s because we aren’t sure we can trust anything else, or maybe it’s because we feel like what’s in front of us is our lot and we’re stuck with it. No matter what the reason, we need to remember to get some perspective. The wasp had no perspective on her situation, and so she couldn’t see how close she was to freeing herself. She didn’t know that all she needed to do was move.
Before I started my own business I worked a job that owned me for 40+ hours per week (not to mention all the work I did off the clock). I poured a great deal of energy into that job, even to the point of making myself unhappy. I was giving up on dreams, giving up on the things I wanted to do, and starting to define myself purely by my occupation. And it wasn’t my jobs’ fault; it was the way I approached my job. I was miserable, but I couldn’t understand that. More than that, I couldn’t see a way for me to get out of the cycle. As far as I could tell, working that job was my lot. I had to do it, and eventually, if I pressed my nose to the grindstone hard enough, I’d find happiness.
But happiness doesn’t just come to you when you’ve paid your working hours dues. Happiness is something you have to seek out and prioritize. And sometimes happiness means relying on faith and taking that scary first step toward realizing your dreams and passions.
I pulled over at a stop sign and waited for the wasp to fly away. She was stubborn, though, and didn’t want to take off. That’s okay; we all need a nudge every now and then. I got out a piece of paper and gave her a scoot, and she was gone. The chaos of her car ride didn’t help her any, I’m sure, but it did remind me of a very good lesson about staying true to yourself. And for that I am thankful.
Do you have something you need to let go of? What’s holding you back from your happiness? Spend some time figuring it out; it just might lead you to a better place.
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