It was one of the most drastic yet exhilirating decisions I have ever made. I left the only home I had ever known, New Orleans, to become one of the newest citizens of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It was a move motivated by a burning desire to take on new personal and career challenges as well as simply being fed up with daily misery. Simply put, I needed a fresh start. To be fair, another motivating force was a former significant other, who must have pep talked me nearly to death about getting out of my comfort zone in order to take the next step in life. Despite our differences, I am thankful for the role she played in my life during serious challenges.
It has occurred to me that so many of us feel "stuck" in our respective situations when we're unhappy. The first thing I would say is it's OK to feel that way. We're human, and we have emotions and fears which are caused by various types of events in our lives. Because of that, we feel as if there is neither an escape nor a surrender from the misery we experience.
Now, it's easy to say that all one has to do is pray or change his or her thinking. Yeh, right. It's not that simple. People feel like crap for reasons, and such advice can serve as nothing more than an insulting oversimplification of people's situations and circumstances. Instead, it's much more productive and realistic to encourage unhappy folks to start the process of defeating misery and to take bold steps to turn that enemy back. As well-intended as some motivational moments from friends, co-workers, and family may be, misery doesn't go away on cue. People have to feel empowered to beat misery not feel as if they're on a tight deadline. That doesn't mean tough love would be out of order. We all need tough love at some point.
Getting out of a rut means doing things differently in life. At the same time, those who feel stuck should seek out those who are fearless about life, no matter how society judges them. One thing that I've noticed about successful people is they don't worry about popular moves, they make necessary moves to get from point A to point B. They also focus on the satisfaction of victory.
If you're reading this and you fit the description of someone who feels stuck in a miserable place, it's OK. Be warned, however, that you will experience pain in escaping your situation. It's like being cuffed to a pole by a villain as a train bears down on you. In order to escape, you'll have to be willing to bear the pain of skinning and breaking your hands in order to save yourself. The pain of escaping is harsh but temporary. Escaping the train gives you another chance at life.
