Moving On Forward

So shit happens, and you move on.  BUT HOW?

There is a lot to consider when taking the next step forward.  I would say one of the most important things is to take some time and heal before running full speed ahead.  Most people skip this step and find themselves in the same situation over and over again wondering why the same thing keeps happening to them.  It is because they did not take the time to heal, learn, and grow from the experience.

 If you don't have the luxury of being able to take a small vacation or take time off work, just set aside a couple hours each day to really work on active healing.  It may be the gym, yoga, mediation, a spa treatment, singing, painting, writing in a journal, blogging, or a combination of all of the above.  Take some time to reflect on the situation and learn from it so that you really understand why it happened, what it means, how it helped in your life, and how to prevent it from happening again.  Don't look back with regrets or a sense of failure, but know that you gave your best and that it may have not been the right situation or the right time.  Everything happens for a reason and everything happens when it is supposed to happen.  Falling is part of life, but getting back up is living.  As my favorite author Paulo Coelho says, "The secret to life is to fall seven times and get up eight times."

Take the time to work on yourself, learn, grow, and be better.  The only reason you should ever look back is to see how far you have come. And then, when you are ready.... Pack your shit and move on!

Shit Happens

The reality is - shit happens.  It happens to everyone.  It happens in different ways, but everyone has some shit happen, some trauma or difficult situation to overcome.  Some people have financial issues, some have family issues, personal issues, weight issues, self esteem issues, incidents or violence or abuse, a combination of everything on this list, or a completely separate list.  Be what it may, no one's shit is better, worse, more important, or more compelling than anyone else's.  It's all just shit.  You may relate to someone's shit more because you have experienced similar shit. 

When shit happens, you have a moment to discover who you really are. It's an opportune time to make a life defining choice.  You can either spend all your time taking shit, making friends that have similar shit so you can talk shit, or you can wipe your ass and move on.  Are you a victim that will be taking shit all your life or are you a survivor that sees your potential to grow and move forward?

For the majority of people, they become "victims" when shit happens to them and they dwell on that.  They spend all their time talking shit and this just brings more shit into their lives.  They feel as though everything happens "to them" and that they are not at all responsible for the shit that is happening in their lives.  

But for the elite few of us that know shit is going to happen no matter what, we buy that triple ply charmin ultra soft and look forward to it.  We are prepared for anything and everything.  We are not victims, we are survivors.  We know that the challenges we face only make us stronger.  We overcome obstacles and move forward without looking back.  

If you want to change your life for the better, stop seeing yourself as a victim of shit that happens to you and take control of what happens in your life.  If you have these type of people in your life, re-evaluate your relationships with them.  My life definitely changed for the better after I started cutting these people out.  They are exhausting and draining, constantly taking as much as they can from everyone and complaining about everything.  I have so much more time and energy now, just from a shift in relationships.  Surround yourself with survivors that see the good and potential in themselves and in you.