Have You Tried The Door?

A friend recently shared with me a story about a defining time in his life. His story ended with words that are still ringing and rattling around in my mind and heart. “Up to that point in my life, I had lived by a belief system that my future was decided by other people. I let other people’s priorities decide and define my future. I realized that I had lived believing the door (to my future) was locked, after (this event) I realized the door had been shut, but never locked. All I ever had to do was just push on the door and it would have opened. The door had never been locked, it had just been closed.”  Have you tried the door?   How many of us live with this unchallenged assumption that our life, our future, our choices are controlled and defined by other people?  We may shy away from stating it that clearly, but we live our lives believing we are passengers in a lifeboat, not the captain of the ship.  The image of a shut door that is just shut, not locked is so powerful. I can picture someone wasting away in a “locked” room, only to discover that had they just tried to open the door they would have been free. What tragedy that would be! Have you tried the door? What doors in your life are you just assuming are locked, that would open if you only just turned the doorknob? Where are you letting other people’s priorities dictate your future, your hopes, your choices?  I’ve been thinking and reading about what Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art calls Resistance. His book begins with these powerful words.  “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”  Steven Pressfield Resistance is a repelling, internal force that keeps us in the room, thinking the door is locked, believing the door is locked when we only need to try the door to realize that it is only shut. There is no key.  Have you tried the door?  What is your door?  I’m sure without much thought you know exactly what your door is. Maybe this month is the month to try the door, touch the handle and discover there is no lock.  “. . .any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower. Any of these will elicit Resistance.” -Steven Pressfield If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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