Marveling at how young we look in old pictures and videos is a universal trait. We all stare at those images in wonder — how could we not have realized, why didn’t we take the time to relish our wonderful body and brain back then? How did time move so quickly and we arrive here?
This video I’m sharing is sevenish years old (so the website I give no longer exists), it was part of a course I created. I pulled up my old stuff after I read a Note on Substack by the amazing author Beth Kempton where she shared that one of her readers was concerned about how old she looked! Beth wrote:
This week someone sent me an email thanking me for all the free courses I have offered over the years, and kindly offering their observation that life has clearly taken its toll on me over the past few years given how I look so much older in my videos these days. My first thought was “Charming!” and my second thought was “I don’t care if I look older than before. I AM older than before (I’ve been doing this for fourteen years) and getting older is a luxury not everyone enjoys.”
I echo Beth’s words! I have been doing this a long time and, this far along, my words, my experiences, and my look is different. But the essence of me is the same, just as my message for each of us to pay attention to our inner voice and have the courage to follow it remains steady.
I wanted to share this old video with you, my special supporter, because hitting our threshold is an experience we all have many times in our life whether we are aware of it or not. It happens any time we try to grow, create something, or change in any way. Perhaps learning to recognize it while it’s happening will make things easier to navigate.
Here are a few things to consider about hitting the wall.
THRESHOLD: the point at which something happens, or stops happening
T - trap
We feel like we hit the wall and we can’t go on because it’s just too much or too hard. Beware Sugarplum because this is our lower-self trying to trap our higher-self into staying put just where we are. Our lower-self wants things to be easy and to stay the same and we will rationalize anything to keep it that way. Don’t fall for it! Keep your eye on the ball.
H - happy
It’s a myth that our happiness lies on the other side of this wall we’ve hit. Our well-being does not depend on us getting, or doing, this thing, it’s built upon us stepping up to try. I know, this is very hard to see in the moment! It’s only after we’ve bumped up against our threshold again and again that we see it’s all part of our journey.
R - resistance & responsibility
When we hit our threshold it shows up as resistance. We put off sitting down to write or going to the gym. We justify eating that thing or not showing up for ourselves. The tricky thing is, our resistance gets strongest just as we are about to go over the wall to success. It’s our inherent nature to pull back because we don’t know what’s on the other side so this makes it scary. But of course, it never comes across as being scary, instead it seems boring or unattainable or who-am-I-to-think-anyone-wants-to-read-what-I-have-to-say. It’s our responsibility to show up anyway. Push through you Hottie-Pants, you! Together, we’ve got this.
E - excitement
Curiosity paves the path to excitement with magic fairy dust. No curiosity = no magic fairy dust. When we are trying our hardest, and still not sure how this whole thing is going to play out, we are living in the golden zone between fear and excitement. Oh, I know it doesn’t feel golden but over time we learn that’s where the magic lies. Try it and see.
S - sabotage
Resistance, or the threshold we must get over to get to our goal, is a form of self sabotage. Let us keep our eyes wide open, Baby!
H - helpless (NOT!)
We can bet our booties that our sneaky lower-selves will try tricking us into thinking we can’t do it. We don’t know how, we don’t have the money, we’re not good enough, we don’t have time, blah, blah. This is mental gobbledygook. We know how to do hard things because we’ve done them before and most things are figureoutable.
O - obvious
Once we’ve come up against ourselves a time or two we begin to see the pattern. (Or if you’re like me it might take 20 times, but don’t give up!) If we start to pay attention we will see what is really going on when these frustrations mount and perhaps gain the ability to settle in and take the next right step rather than creating a mental shitstorm that blocks our path.
L - love
Make no mistake Hon, we will only hit our threshold when we are trying to do something we love. The more heart and soul we have invested in the project the higher the wall. When we are neutral it’s because our heart wasn’t totally in it. May we keep this in mind when the going gets tough.
D - divine
If we are spinning our wheels may we remind ourselves that we are not walking this path alone. There are forces at play that are greater than ourselves that can help us along if we ask. The higher, smarter, more loving part of you knows what to do so check in with them.
I posted this on Substack Notes (Substack’s social media platform) earlier this week. I took this video when I hit the Y in the path on our lake at sunrise. Sometimes (but not always) a decision can weigh on us so much we allow it to sabotage our progress. Recognizing that we will be able to manage whatever comes our way, no matter what decision we make is one way to bump over the threshold.
May we have the courage to occasionally step out of our comfort zone to move past our resistance. It’s a learned skill that will serve us well.
Audience participation is not required here in The Bright Life and yet I love to hear from you either in the comments or by email donnamcarthur@substack.com. Don’t ever hesitate to drop me a line. As always, I appreciate your support more than you know.
Please hit the ❤️ for me so I know I’m not writing into the void, and know I’m sending ❤️right back to you.
xoxo Donna
