A Starting Point

A Starting Point-

This quote by Nido Qubin caught my attention.

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you go; they merely determine where you start."

Sometimes I feel stuck.   Stuck in time and place.  Stuck in routine.  Mired in daily doings.  My present circumstances dictating my actions.  When these feelings cover my whole being, there is no thinking about a starting point.  There is only a spot.  No opportunities to choose a way.  Discouragement becomes my second skin.  Can't move out of it.

Do you ever find yourself wishing for a starting point?  Wishing for one more chance?  Thinking that if you could just have one more shot at whatever it is you want or need, your life would get back on target?

I think one thing the author of the quote is trying to convey is we are always moving.  We are never still.  What we are engaged in now is not what will hold our attention in a week, a month, a year.  How wise we are when we grasp that truth.  Nothing is forever.  Where we are now is our springboard. The place we begin the next piece of our journey.  Certainly there is fear in believing we are ready to start something new.  What will others think?  What do we think we can bring to the table that hasn't already been placed on it?  Do we honestly believe we have anything to give that others would want?  As we move toward positive responses to those and other questions that plague us, we realize that to be our authentic self, moving is required.

Maybe Robert Frost was correct. Those two roads that diverge in life make us stop and think.  This one or that one?  We can only glimpse what might be around the bend.  It is secret.  Hidden from us.  Asking us to trust ourselves and those who wish to help us.  One step down the chosen road...then another.   Baby steps.   Hesitant.   Halting.  Looking back to the other choice.  Was this the right one?  Are we on the path that will be our new beginning?  Is it possible to leave behind those broken parts of our lives and move forward?  The next step.  Our new start.  Frightening sometimes.  But full of wonder.  What will we find?  Who will join us on the road to our fresh start?

Each new day is a gift.  We leave behind us the day before.  And the day before that.  Yet, I think we tend to take those "before" days with us into our new start.  We hold on to things that we should let go. We stew in our juices about words spoken, decisions made.  We are held captive to our own thoughts. And when that happens, we cannot start anything new.  We have not allowed the past to be the past.  We bring it into our future.  Not that we want to drag it into our tomorrows.  It takes will power to move forward.  It takes conviction that we are right in starting something new.  It takes courage to honestly believe that new beginnings are not only possible but are an absolute.   The moment we realize these truths, we are ready to start.  To explore what has been patiently waiting for us.

Years ago I complained to a person that writing was so difficult.  Who would ever want to read anything that came into my mind.  The response was to open myself to whatever presented itself.  To push fear behind me.  To believe in myself.  That person was a radio station manager.  Because of him and his encouragement, I had air time on his station for a few years.  I realized that I would be traveling a new and uncertain road.  One I had not been down before.  It was a starting point.  One that brought new experiences.

Feeling stuck means I have closed myself off to possibilities.  I have refused to listen to that little voice deep inside that encourages me to do the simple things in life that bring joy to others.  To smile more.  To refuse to become annoyed at silly things.  To see good.  To welcome discussion.  To be kind and patient.  Life usually isn't about big things.  Life is lived in small moments.  One following another.  We are known by those small moments.  Who we are shines through when we offer our care and concern for others.  When we listen.  When we encourage.

Guess I know where my starting point is.  It is staring me right in the face.  What about you?