Starting All Over Again

Several years ago, I fell in love with the lyrics of a song. This was during my early years, when everything new to me was an adventure. The singer proclaimed in very soulful words: "Starting all over again is gonna be rough, but hold on, and you're gonna make it". (I don't remember the artiste now, but kudos to her). On first hearing that song, I took those words to heart as a motto. Several painful emotional experiences later, those words rose to the level of prophecy. But I really was a true believer and, no matter the occasion, I would not let go!

I am still a believer in those words today, but not as much as before. Now I realize that those words were simply statements of fact, not prophecy, spoken by one sufferer to others having, or about to have, their enlightening experiences.

Throughout most of my experiences, I faithfully remembered the advice to "hold on, and you're gonna make it". And, miraculously, so said, so done. Situation after situation, experience after experience, I held on and "made" it. Even through the most devastating of occasions in my life, the break-up of my first marriage, I faithfully heeded these words. As predicted, life settled down, the hurt disappeared, and everything began anew.

Now that I have lived and been through the experiences of life for a bit, I can understand why the singer set out to share that advice. You may disagree with my interpretation, and you have all right to do so, but here is my take on it. Personal progress is usually accomplished through strenuous, even painful, effort and blind faith!

Looking back over my many disappointing events and experiences, if I hadn't "held on" during the aftermaths, I would not have recovered and learned the valuable lessons that had been offered to me. By fore-warning me that my "painful" experiences would end, the singer "predicted" the value of riding out my situation. Without "hanging on", I wouldn't have learned lessons from the experience as I went through it.

One major characteristic I discovered through "holding on" was patience. Rather, I should say, the value of Time. During my many life surprises, I found out that things take time to grow and develop. Regardless of what I wanted, every situation took as much time as it needed to resolve itself! It mattered not if I fretted or threw powerful tantrum-parties. Things took their own time to develop. In response, I reluctantly learned to wait them out. (Found out along the way that this was called acquiring patience).

I am thankful today for having learned to "hold on". You see, I never knew the time would come when I would need to use the skills acquired from those "negative" situations to build a new life for myself. As such, having the awareness that "starting all over again is gonna be tough" gives me an added advantage over starry-eyed prospectors; I won't become frustrated when experiences don't develop as I want them to in the time that I want. Because I know that I have time working for me if I "hold on". I am gonna make it!

What's your take on this philosophy? Share your thoughts on the interpretation of this philosophy. Did you find it useful?