The things I’ve learned the most from on my journey to reach my dreams are the many messes I’ve made along the way. (“Mess” is just a word I like to use for when we can’t understand what is happening or when we come up against unknowns.) To learn to embrace the mess is where the magic tends to happen. We often think that if we have a well designed plan we avoid the messes and problems. Well, my friend, I’m here to inform you that the messes will be there at times and can add some value.
Sometimes the value is the simple appreciation you gain in obtaining your goals. They can be a teacher in things that work well and things to avoid. They may be the fork in the road to lead you in a better direction. Although our minds can envision many goals, we don’t get the crystal ball to know all the details we will need before we embark. This fear is often what stops us in beginning journeys or gathering the courage to follow our dreams.
The beauty is that you can experience your dreams through the messes. You will go through many experiences along the way. Many times when you reach a goal or an accomplishment, it isn’t until then that you notice your experience and knowledge came from the journey and not the end goal. The messes can help you gain the experience you may need and make you stronger by the time you reach your destination.
The point is that just like life will reveal some messes, you get them along with your passions and purposes as well. Learning to embrace the mess of the unknown is a way to move through them without giving up. Just because you move through a difficult fork in the road, doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel or that it isn’t going to work out. Anything worth a journey is going to show you some bumps and upheavals.
I’ve also found in looking back at some adventures, they probably would have been boring or lost momentum if I didn’t get to experience some messes along the way. The messes are often what makes the great story. Imagine watching a movie without any conflict or plot. I know my family often gets bored with movies if they don’t involve some action!.
We can embrace the messes in the journey and view them as our exciting points and moments along the way. We often react with despair when things do not move smoothly and difficulties arise. It can take a different way of looking at things to move through them. Especially problems we encounter. It’s a choice in how we see our messes. Are we viewing them as problems, or as a balance to a better solution? If the opportunity didn’t present itself, you may not see the need to change it.
Think about it as a leaky faucet. You could get angry that the faucet is leaking, or you could be grateful that you found it before major damage was done. You at least had the opportunity to try to take care of it before a worse outcome presented itself. I’m sure there are some things we can often agree on. It’s not always fun to do home repairs and pay taxes. But we can choose a more positive approach to those things. If we have home repairs, it means we have a home. If we have taxes to pay, we have some money to circulate. I know some people who love home repairs and that is why they do it for a living. They like the adventure of solving those problems for people.
We all move through messes differently. We can embrace them as puzzles to solve. We can also seek help from those who enjoy the puzzles and mystery. Regardless of how we choose to handle them, we have the option in our reactions to them. When you change the energy of a mess or problem to an opportunity or a blessing, not only do you empower yourself in how you handle it, but you also raise the vibration of how you experience it. How you move through the messes is a choice.
You have the option to move through them with anger and frustration. Perhaps even kicking and screaming along the way. Or… You can infuse them with some hope, faith, and maybe even some joy. Being in peace doesn’t mean nothing will ever disturb you; it means you can experience each disturbance calmly and resiliently. As we move through life and along our journeys, we have a choice to embrace our messes and to move through them with more grace and ease. When you can appreciate the obstacles, you may be able to see more possibilities and receive more solutions just by changing the energy you infuse them with. I’m a firm believer that you can change your outcome by adjusting your attitude.