The alarm clock went off, signalling it was time to get up and start getting ready for work.
Anna rolled over and pressed the snooze button, trying to give herself 10 more minutes before she got out of bed and started her morning.
It was Monday, the start of another dreary week, working at a job she hated and did not fulfil her. But it was “a job”, and it paid the rent, so she would keep going because she believed she had no other choice.
As the alarm clock went off for the second time, Anna slipped out of bed and had a quick shower. There was no time for make-up, and she did not usually wear it to work, because what was the point?
As the clock showed 7.30 am, it was time to go to the train station. It had been raining all night, and it was still raining. The sky was grey, and the air was cold, and Anna felt as miserable as the weather. Putting her umbrella up, she began walking and thought to herself how much she hated walking in the rain.
She arrived at the train station and waited for her train to come. The station was filled with people, pushing and shoving to make their way to the front of the line so that they could get onto the train as soon as it arrived. Anna braced herself as she saw the train coming and felt the pressing of other people around her. She thought, “I hate my life”.
At that moment, the story of “I hate my life” was born and imprinted into Anna’s mind, together with all the feelings of that experience.
We have all had to do something we disliked doing, and perhaps even hated doing. However, this story is not about how much Anna hated her life and circumstances, but rather how powerless and trapped she felt. Anna believed she had no choice except to stay in a job that did not fulfil her. She believed that because of this her whole life was broken, sad, and miserable—and she approached life in this way.
The fact is, life is all about choices. We choose how we want to live, who we want to become, and how we choose to feel. We choose the “meaning” that we put on events and circumstances in our life.
So this week’s challenge is to look at any area in your life where you feel powerless or trapped. Look at the meaning you have attached to this experience and see how it is affecting other areas in your life.
For how you view life—and whether you experience joy, excitement, happiness, or sadness, misery and despair—is a reflection of how you think and feel, and the meaning you have attached it.
Like everything in life, it is always about our perception—and the choice to change your perception is always yours to make.
So what area in your life do you want to look at differently?
Deborah Ruth
Storyteller
