"What is the hardest thing you can possibly do?" she said
when I went to her for advice on the darkest day of the first half of my life."
"Why must I do what is hardest?"
"Because you are an instrument of God.
Don't leave the instrument sitting in its case. Play!
Leave no part of your instrument unexplored.
Why settle for 'Three Blind Mice' when you can play the 'Gloria'?"
Abraham Verghese, Cutting For Stone
Dealing with the Dark Days of our Lives
We all have our dark days when faced with adversity or defeat when we question if anything we've ever done--or will do--is worthwhile. Perhaps you're having one of those times now.
Maybe when you look around, you see others seemingly flying past obstacles and meeting with success, while you alone sit in solitude and pain. You want to take a step but you're not sure how to pull out of the darkness that has invaded your life.
As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote in the 1800s:
"To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult."To pull out of the dark days of your life, as Verghese says you must do what is hardest, and as Goethe says, the hardest is to take action--in ways you believe are right for you.
- What do you believe you are destined to do?
- What do you think is the right thing for you to do at this moment?
- Where do your interests take you?
- What do you wish someone would ask you to do?
- What is your 'Three Blind Mice' way to play life? What is your 'Gloria'?
"Everybody wants to be somebody but nobody wants to grow." GoetheIs it Time to Ask for Help?
When the dark days hit it IS difficult to take action. That is the time to reach out to others who can help you find your dreams, and nudge you to act on them. We all need help at times re-discovering our dreams and gaining the courage to act on them.
Who are the one to two people in your life you can call on? Contact one of them and ask for a chat today.
Don't just sit in darkness--reach out to one person--and let that be the action that gets you off your 'three blind mice' track onto the path to playing your Gloria.
"Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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