Trigger

"What do you think triggered that?"

She asked me this... and I sat there, never having thought about it before (p.s. kudos, Nichole - a good question is one that stumps).

I was sharing my thoughts as of late, that I was in a great place regarding looking to a bright future and realizing that if I do things the right way, I can do whatever the f*** I want and make my dreams into reality... like,  I can really do it. 

Because for awhile, I wasn't in that place. I gave up on my future goals so-to-speak. Thinking it wasn't in the cards for me because of my circumstances (monetarily, intellectually, and otherwise). 

And that was normal for me. 

"What do you think triggered that?" she said, "because you never used to be that way."

"You're right," I said, "I used to preach about passion and being able to do anything you set your mind to... I didn't even realize that I had lost that."

So what do I think triggered that? 

What do I think triggered the fact that my mindset did a 180 shift into thinking "I can't" rather than "I can."

I'm not really sure, though I can look back at a number of instances that potentially led to a change in mindset. Though they all happened so slowly, over time, that I didn't realize what they were doing to me. 

They were changing who I was, what I believe in - how I see the world. 

Life tends to knock you down sometimes. It tends to be real. It tends to remind you to follow the rules. It tends to make it easier to give up on your goals than it is to put in the work to follow them.

It tends to throw you unforeseen obstacles. It tends to add red ink to your beautifully crafted plans. 

It tends to be life. 

It is easy to fall into a "the world is conspiring against what I want most" mindset without even realizing it. It is hard to remain in a "the world is conspiring for me" mindset... especially when it seems it isn't. 

But it is, you see. 

Everything that is happening to you is happening for a reason, if for nothing more than to teach you how to handle obstacles, to handle different situations, and to work even harder than before to make sure you get to your destination. 

To teach you that the challenges along the way are what is going to make your years of living worth it.

Is going to make your life a life worth living. 

It is when you change your mindset that you are able to see what has been right in front of you all along. 

Switch from thinking, "I'm stuck," to "I'm the free-est I'll ever be." Because truly, you might be. 

Life tends to be life. 

And that is why I encourage you to keep your head up, continue to believe in yourself, and always write your plans in (number 2) pencil. 

It's all about mindset, make sure yours is a good one.

-Stasia