Hill Holler

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

You know someone who does this, admit it. We all have friends or family that fit the bill here. They bemoan their misfortune at every opportunity.

They’ll tell anyone within earshot how they missed out in life because of everyone’s actions except their own. All the”couldabeen/shouldabeen” stories they can relate to you could fill a book (albeit a pretty uninteresting one…).

They get stuck in a circle of self-defeating, negative talk as if their life is over because what they consider to have been their big chance passed them by in their eyes. You can feel yourself sinking lower and lower just by being in their very presence.

You know what I say when I can’t face listening to it one more time? I say “GMSD”.

It’s enough to stop them mid-utterance if you time it right and that in itself can be a blessing. This method by the way is only to be used with friends or family you either can count on to not take offense at your forthrightness or when you’re willing to take the risk of that.

Breaking the cycle of the same old speech you’ve probably heard a million times can be a mite confusing for them. You’ve thrown a verbal spanner in their works. They need a moment to question what interrupted their well worn flow with a carefully crafted query. “Eh?” is the usual one. The conversation continues:

“GMSD.”

“What’s that mean?”

“You sure you want to know?”

“Yes, I want to know.”

“No going back once I tell you now. ”

“Ok, tell me.”

“Ok, you asked, remember.”

“Ok, ok, tell me!”

“Alrighty then…”

“Get over it.
Move forward.
Stop replaying it and
DO SOMETHING ELSE!”

Normally this needs to sink in a little. You can tell when it has easily. A fleeting look of horror at the thought of letting it go is followed by a “Like what?” if you’re lucky, as opposed to a straight “No!” if you’re not. (Some people just enjoy misery the way others do a summer’s day, let’s face it.)

Like what?!

Anything! Everything! The world is out there waiting for you to notice what it can offer you and has been offering all the while you’ve been blinkered by whatever it was that didn’t pan out. So what? What’s done is done. It’s past. Finito. Gone.

Instead of choosing to wallow in couldabeen/shouldabeen’s, why not look ahead to whatmightbe’s and perfectlypossible’s? And make no mistake, it is a choice to wallow.

Do you recognize yourself a little, I wonder? Then be good to yourself and your spirit. Clear out some of that draining negative repetitive talk and create a whole new place in your brain for ideas on how to take ACTION! Create new goals, find new ways to attain them and set your course for the unpredictable, fabulous, exhilarating daily adventure we call life.

Not just a “I’m breathing every day so this must be life” kind of life, but a “I’m going to bounce out of bed and leap into the new day” kind of life where each and every day is littered with possibilities of great things to come.

That’s “Like what.” Go for it! Anything, everything, just go for it! Actively seek out some excitement in your life and dump the humdrum. Do one thing today, just one thing, that lets you say honestly that today you took one step closer to being a happier, more productive person.

Unclutter your mind, unclutter your heart and spring clean your psyche. You’ll thank me later!