Like Driving Through Fog

Have you ever felt stuck? 

Maybe you’ve read the books, poured over articles on the internet, or asked everyone you knew, “what’s next?”  Maybe you know all about goal setting and affirmations, yet you find yourself repeating the same patterns or doubting you’ll ever reach your goals and dreams and doubting you'll ever live an aligned life. Does any of that sound familiar?

Most of us want to get from Point A to Point B in a nice straight line. Forget about ‘life being a journey’ – we want to get to our destination! Yesterday!

And when our journey toward living a fulfilling and aligned life is made up of twists and turns, ups and downs, and ins and outs, we feel like a failure.

“The only straight line in Nature that I remember is the spider swinging down from the twig.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I used to say that I enjoy ‘living in the mystery’ but I didn’t. I wanted answers and I wanted to know what was ahead and I wanted to know what to do.

Yes, I wanted the straight line approach.

Many years ago I was driving near Bakersfield, California and I was trapped driving in Tule Fog. Tule fog is thick ground fog and I couldn’t see more than 12 inches in front of me, even with my headlights on.

Since I could barely see, I had to move forward ever so slowly. And I had to focus only on the part of the road I could see. I was tense and scared. I had to remind myself to breathe. I didn’t know what obstacles might be only 13 inches away. When I finally moved through the fog, I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I was safe.

But you know what else? I felt a sense of accomplishment and confidence. I made it!

We all love the times when we know what we want and know the steps to get there and everything unfolds ‘easily and effortlessly.’ Unfortunately, life isn’t always that clear and it seems like we are driving in a fog. Then what? 

Here are four points to remember when it seems you are moving through the fog:

1. Focus on what you can see and take your next step based on that. As we focus on what we wish to experience, have, become, or achieve, we begin to align our energy with what we desire. Thomas Troward wrote, “The Law of flotation was not discovered by contemplating the sinking of things, but by contemplating the floating of things which floated naturally, and then intelligently asking why they did so.” On my website, I have a free resource called “Daily Awesomeness Planner” (under the Free Stuff tab) and you can use that to help you focus on your desires and living your aligned life.
2. You need to be willing to experience some discomfort. Moving towards our goals and desires usually involves some sort of change and most of us don’t like change. We like comfortable; we like to know how we are going to get where we want to go; we like security; we like to plan; we want to have our needs met ahead of time and we like to stay in our comfort zone. Sometimes when it is our next step, instead of focusing on what we desire, we spend lot of time and focus trying to stop things from happening or changing. All of our energy is spent on keeping things the way they are.
3. Ask the right question. When our path isn’t clear, we have a tendency to ask “how?’ instead of the more important question, “how much?” How much do I want the thing? How much do I want to experience the abundance of life? How much do I want to live life to the fullest? How much do I desire to have fulfilling, supportive, and nurturing relationships? How much do I want a job where I am appreciated and enjoyed? How much do I want to work for myself? How much do I want vibrant health? Fall in love with your dreams and desires.
4. Appreciate the small wins. Even if it seems like you’ve only moved forward a few inches, you are still closer to where you want to be. Allow this forward movement to help you increase your confidence in your ability to succeed and to remember the end of the fog is that much closer. Don’t give up.

No one benefits if you refuse to take action because you can’t see all the way down the road. If you are going through some tough and challenging times right now, don’t let the experience define you; it’s just the fog. If you’ve been settling instead of soaring for so long that you don’t know what to do, don’t let your history define you; it’s just the fog. 

So, keep your focus on your desires, be willing to move out of your comfort zone, remember to ask “how much,” and appreciate the smallest success every day. Remember, your dreams are waiting.

Say YES to yourself by keeping your focus on your desires.

About Janet

Are you ready to live the aligned life you were meant to live? To be 'fully' you?

Hi, I'm Janet Kingsley and for the past two decades I've helped women say YES to themselves and move beyond the negative voices in their heads so they can amplify their impact, boost their self-confidence, and connect with their calling. In other words, live their fulfilling, authentic, and aligned life.