Bolder Stances

We all know the saying: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

This is supposed to evoke an optimistic sense that nothing in life is totally unpalatable. And I agree that we should strive to see the good even in bad situations. But what if this season’s batch of lemons is just too hard to swallow?

The mere mention of lemons makes your mouth pucker and eyes water.

There can’t possibly be enough sugar to take away the bite.

Nor water fresh enough to dilute the bitterness.

We like to toss around the phrase cause we think it elicits an image of kicking back with an ice cold glass of a freshly squeezed, perfectly sweetened beverage on a hot summer’s day. Is lemonade truly as refreshing if you have to make it yourself?

Though what if you don’t put in the work to transform those lemons?

Well, they will rot and mold and waste. And if you wait to consume the juice until after they’ve expired…(I’ll let you Google that one).

So perhaps it is better to roll up your sleeves, scoop out some sugar, and start stirring! After all, those lemons aren’t going to transform themselves.

“Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it.”

– C.S. Lewis

I recently finished reading Mere Christianity for the first time, and these words from the final chapter really stuck with me. It’s so easy these days to get caught up in feeling like we need to be doing more, earning more, posting more, spending more, etc. We get so distracted by the pursuits of this world that we lose touch with who we were created to be. We fill our lives with so much noise that there isn’t any room left to hear our true call. And yet we wonder why we can’t find passion in anything.

It can be exhausting looking for a new way to “be original” in a society filled with influencers, celebrities, YouTube stars, bloggers, and such. It can be overwhelming to think of how to stand out amongst all the other voices on the web.

And that’s precisely why I like this quote so much. Lewis reminds us that we don’t have to try to be original. We’ve already been created that way. We don’t have to worry about if we’re repeating what’s already been said and done a thousand times. If it’s something honest and worth sharing, then keep putting it out there.

Some terrific things have sparked from people simply pursuing and sharing what interested them. It often starts small and grows into something they never could have imagined.

So let’s drop the notion of being original and strive to live truthfully. That’s really all it takes, don’t you think?

 

“The two important things I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be, and that the most difficult part of any endeavor is taking the first step, making the first decision.” -Robyn Davidson

We’ve heard sayings like this throughout our lives. Yet somehow, it never seems to become easier to take that first step. Change is scary and we’re all creatures of habit. But what else is holding us back from going after the things we most want in life?

Fear

Fear of the unknown is a powerful force. If you’re anything like me, you have a hard time making decisions without analyzing the full, long-term impact of those choices. The problem lies in the fact that life is incredibly unpredictable. We can’t possibly know or predict the outcome of each step that we take. Also, there are very few “wrong” choices to make. Certainly, there are right and wrong decisions when basing it on moral or ethical reasons, but the line is less clear when simply trying to decide which career path is the best fit, if now is the best time to start a family, or if it’s time to go back to school, etc.

Doubt

When we’re young, our parents and teachers tell us that we can be anything we want to be when we grow up. The world is presented to us as an endless buffet just waiting to serve up whatever dish our little hearts desire. After finishing school and venturing out into the real world, we get slapped in the face by job postings demanding so many years work experience, knowledge of programs and systems, and an endless array of various expectations. This can easily stop us in our tracks. No one warned us that it would be difficult to find our way into those positions. We underestimated the value of networking. So most of us have to take what we can get to pay the bills and stay afloat, and then this happens…

Inertia

…we get stuck. We remain in that job and do nothing. Just sit and wait for some external force to come along and knock us into our dream job. All the while, voices in our heads tell us this is as good as it gets, we don’t have the skills to find anything better, we need to learn to cope. And the passions we once had get pushed further and further back.

I’m pretty sure most of you can relate to these points. We all know that feeling of giving up on something that once brought us joy in order to get by. The reality is, however, that change will only come once we take action. I know it’s been said again and again, but we have to take that first step. If you’re wishing for something to change in your life, be it a job or relationship, you have to enact change.

I hope that this blog will serve as a platform for us to explore some of these areas together. To overcome fear with boldness and courage. Life is too short to just wait in one place. Let’s start taking action!

Welcome to Bolder Stances! If you’re ready to start living your best life while chasing after your dreams, you have come to the right place.