When You Have To Say Goodbye To The Life You Thought You Wanted

We have to stop judging our future before it happens. We have to stop closing off our minds to the unknown, as the unknown has spectacular miracles waiting for us

By

Quentin Keller
Quentin Keller
Quentin Keller

When life takes a sudden turn away from something we’ve always wanted, it’s only natural that we become upset and disheartened. Seeing the future change right in front of our eyes leaves us grasping on to what we’ve already lost. The goals we’d always hoped to accomplish and the life we had always wished for just isn’t there anymore. It’s gone. Swept away.

Washed over by bitterness, we grieve the loss of what we had hoped to be our future life. We mourn because we now know that what we’ve always counted on is gone. And feeling this lost? It’s extremely discouraging. It’s extremely painful. But the thing is, It’s only human to be upset…to be scared…to be angry. Something has been taken from us, and there’s nothing we can do to change this. But a lot of the time, we fall into a rut in which we waste all of our precious time and energy moping about this loss. We stay stuck in the past and in the future, and forget that we still have the now. We are too tainted with fear and regret to move past our fixation on what we have lost. It takes us a very long time to acknowledge that this new route, no matter how terrifying it may seem, might actually be the route we are supposed to take.

But in these moments, we have to stop. We have to pause. See, we have to try our hardest to open up our minds to the idea of a new path. If we stay closed off, we aren’t going to find happiness because we will simply be stagnant. Stagnant and stubborn, refusing to move forward. Instead of focusing so much on what we have lost, we have to try with all of our power to accept that this new path might be leading us to exactly where we are supposed to be.

We have to stop being so afraid of change. We have to stop judging our future before it happens. We have to stop closing off our minds to the unknown, as the unknown has spectacular miracles waiting for us.

I know this is scary. I know we want to cling on to what we had, that just slipped between our fingers. I know we want to search to try to reclaim this part of our life and future. But we have to accept that we can’t. It’s as simple as that. So whether we stay stuck or move forward is up to us.

But remember – this sudden turn of events, this sudden change in plans…it isn’t here to hurt you or to damage you. It might be here to challenge you, but challenges bring growth. Challenges expand our thoughts and nurture our courage. This new opportunity has no intention of knocking you down. So even if it is challenging, even if it is ridiculously hard, this new path is offering you a beautiful chance for both change and growth. This new opportunity is here to redirect you to what you need in this world. It is here to propel you forward with courage into an even better future.

I know that it may be hard to see your plans washed away. I know that it is hard to let go of the reins. I know you want to hold on, even if we both know you can’t hold on forever. But soon you will see that you have to trust the world. You have to trust that the universe will not throw anything at you that you cannot handle. And yeah…sure, I get it. You’ve heard that before. Maybe you think it’s bullshit. Maybe you think it’s just an expression people say to support you when life sucks. But honestly? It’s true. Has life ever given you anything that you cannot handle? No. Have you ever stopped growing or moving forward? No.

You see, you’re still here. You’re still reading this. Your heart is still beating and your veins are still pumping. So far you’ve overcome every single thing the galaxy has thrown at you. Every. Single. Thing. You’ve made it through one hundred percent of the hurdles, obstacles, letdowns and heartbreaks that this spectacular world has challenged you with.

You’ve made it through all the times you thought your world was falling apart. You’ve made it. You’re here.

You are fully equipped to handle this new, unknown path. You are courageous and resilient, and you will find that beautiful things are waiting for you just around the corner.

So drop every fear and get moving.

Miracles are waiting for you. I promise. Thought Catalog Logo Mark