The Things That Surround You

photo credit: seyed mostafa zamani

Sometimes I look around and I wish that parts of my life weren’t there. At other times, I look around and I wish that I had things that I don’t yet have. And I wonder why I can’t just move everything around the way I want it instantly.

I think the response to this question – why we can’t have everything the way we want it when we want it – is that the things that surround you are there to serve a purpose. They are the things you need in order to take the next step forward.

When I had a job that I hated, I needed that job because I needed to learn how to consciously walk away from a situation that didn’t serve me. (There were plenty of other things I learned during that time too.) It wasn’t a pleasant experience, it wasn’t comfortable, but it was exactly what I needed. That job was in my life because I was supposed to do something with it – leave it. Once I figured that out, it left me. It was then replaced by another job that I liked much, much better.

Likewise, when something enters my life, it’s because I’m now ready for all of the lessons it provides. Before that point however, those lessons would have fallen on deaf ears because I wasn’t ready for it.

I always try to look at the things around me as purposeful, and when I realize that purpose and act on it, those things tend to get replaced by something else. And eventually, that “new” thing becomes the “old” thing and it leaves my life.

Pay attention to your reactions to the things that surround you. They are sending you a message. And when you act in response to that message, you’ll grow. And the things that surround you will change.