The Extra-Strength Lightening Bolt: Why You Should Never Lose Hope
Sometimes breaking through the pain of negativity takes an extra “jolt.” This one's for anyone in desperate need of some positivity and inspiration. "Don't ever let fear turn you against your playful heart." – Jim Carrey If you prefer to listen, here's the podcast version of this post on iTunes and Soundcloud.
If you're in need of some heartfelt inspiration, I'd like to offer you this video of Jim Carrey's commencement speech from a while back. What I find so profound is his understanding of the layers of life and humanity, as well as what universally traps us and halts us on our way to becoming our best selves. The reason I am sending this, (aside from the fact that it’s awesome) is that for me, this video is in itself a magical tool for those moments of random suffering. Let me elaborate.
If you are on a path to becoming your best self, you might encounter – at random – moments in your life, or days or weeks even, that you lose touch with the brightness and joy that lives inside you. For whatever reason, you might become trapped in a mood or be overcome once again by your conditions. And often this dark cloud will feed itself – it will become more “true,” more weighty and real, and with your inability to find the salve, the more blind to the falsity of this mood, you become. This is when, once again, we are secretly removed of our power – by fear. Fear that “we will always be this way” and “how did I believe I could let this part of who I am go” and “the hope I felt was false after all.”
It is during these moments that “extra-strength” meds come in handy. And by meds, I mean a profound “jolt” from outside of us: the affects of someone with a lightning bolt of truth that can reach you through that cloud – that lie that is your chemical fear – and “jolt” you out of that physical mood/moment and back into your awareness of joy. It’s like a hard-restart when the negativity programs won’t stop running.
That jolt is why we need each other. It is the truth behind the statement, “You are okay. You will always be okay.” Because you are not alone, and you never will be. You don’t have to do this growth and change alone – you can do it with million of others who are pulling you out of the darkness by a thick and hefty rope. You are powerful and strong alone, and you are even more powerful because you are loved. You are loved by strangers and your fellow man – you are loved by me.
Sometimes when clouds stick in our heads, we need those reminders from outside of us, to remind us of who we are, where we are, and that it’s – for real - okay. We need others to see us, to be our true mirror – because those damn clouds – they fog up that mirror.
So that is why I offer you this as a way to remember in any moment of pain or greyness or suffering – you always have “The Extra-Strength Lightning Bolt.” And that is the grounding perspective of the millions and millions of people around you. You just have to start madly seeking the lightning bolt that’s going work for your cloud– literally Google it and look for it and ask for it out loud; invite it from everywhere and anywhere. Don’t stop until you find the insight/ the YouTube video / the words from a random friend / the passage in the random book / the one-liner in the random podcast – that rings that bell of truth that breaks through your cloud.
Those old states of being can be very strong and can sometimes take hold without a moments notice. The most important thing to remember about those moments of despair – is to not give them any weight – no matter how much they try to convince you, don’t listen to them or try to figure them out. Recognize that they are false, they are worthless, they are old bad habits, and you need to find that rope to pull yourself out to “awareness” and the reality of who you are.
In a very literal sense, using this tool is about getting your grounded awareness back through as many external methods as possible. Because when it comes to big “viruses” in our programming, sometimes the fix has to come from outside of us. If you’re not experiencing a moment like this now, just keep it with you in that little coin slot in your jeans to pull out if you grow trapped in a dark mood that is begging for validation.
You are always at your core, okay. You are good, your life is beautiful. Just don’t stop grabbing ropes until you catch the right one that pulls you out. Keep going and don’t stop. While you're in a place of stability and happiness, reinforce your cocoon – your pillow-nest of love and inspiration around yourself, because in these moments those will be the ropes that pull you back onto the ground where you truly exist. Loved, standing tall, and basking in the sun.
xox Sarah-May B.