I've been asked more than once Robbie, if you had to do it all over again, would you? Even though it's only theory, I know, it WRENCHES my gut each time. I might be like the time-traveling scientist in Michael Crichton's book TIMELINE who accidentally pops up in the wrong place at the wrong time and totally bungles up the future. I don't think I would be good at differentiating the RIGHT changes from the WRONG changes of the FUTURE that has already been my life (so far).
I mean...
-I hated moving to England as a child but had a life-changing, spiritual experience
-I disliked the college I attended, but found the lady of my dreams there
-I disliked watching my wife go through labor, but I have 6 amazing children
I can list a lot of hard times I've experienced...
-being jumped in Brugge, Belgium
-buying a sucky car from a sketchy dealership
-watching a student go downhill until he finally took his life
I think the question Robbie, if you had to do it all over again, would you? really means...
Robbie, if you knew the people YOU chose to be your friends and close associates would make life difficult for you, would lie to you, would set you up for failure, would work against your honest efforts all the while smiling at your face, would pretend to be in close while watching you flounder from a distance, would YOU choose those people again to be in your inner circle?
That is MUCH easier to answer.
OF COURSE NOT!!!!!!!!!
But whenever we point a finger, aren't there four more pointing back at us (well, 3, minus the thumb)? I mean, most of the people I have let into my life I ALLOWED. Sure, many of the lame ones might have deceived, hoodwinked, sneaked, or bullied their way into my life, but my acceptance of them was the FINAL DOOR they had to walk through... and that door was controlled by ME.
Above is a picture of three of my friends. From left to right...
-Khristopher Miller is a graduate of Berklee College of Music & director of School of Rock
-Noah Henson is founder of Dredrock Music and lead guitarist for Pillar
-Brett Manning is founder of Singing Success & Brett Manning Studios
I don't let these friends butt in the parts of my life where they don't belong, and in return I don't blame my failures on them. These are friends I HAVE CHOSEN to be friends because they have passed the test of my BS radar. When things go wrong in my life, I don't sulk about how badly I think they have influenced me. I also don't position myself to depend upon them in ways our friendship has not dictated. But I can do that because I KNOW MYSELF.
Do you want to avoid...
-fantasizing about the WHAT IF's of your life
-wanting to fall asleep because your life is too painful
-wishing you had the guts to make a choice you know you need to make
??????
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