Dry Spell

Sometimes you do all the right things and still nothing happens. Nothing changes. Dry spell.

A dry spell is a period of time when progress comes to a grinding halt. If you're trying to find a new job, it may feel as though no one is hiring and you are stuck. You are likely to feel frustrated and discouraged and it feels like you have two choices - try harder (to no avail) or give up. This is also the time when self-doubt rears its annoying, ugly head.

Self-doubt and I are old friends. We know each other well. We have an ongoing relationship with no end in sight. So how do you deal with a dry spell in your life? Can't really avoid it once you realize it's here. It's like once you acknowledge the "elephant in the room", you can't help but look at it. I know you should be patient, take a deep breath, re-evaluate the situation and understand that despite what appears to be "the end of the road," really is a hidden path that will lead where you most need to go. Yeah, I get that....but it's not that easy to execute. Stupid self-doubt clouding my thinking.

Sometimes a dry spell is simply a challenge to maintain faith. We need to trust that all is happening as it should even when we can't see the results. At other times it might just be the kick in the pants we need to stop, think and let go. Let go of the past, of old habits, of crazy beliefs, or of a strategy that doesn't really work for us. Sometimes this letting go is more tangible like ending an unsupportive relationship to set the stage for becoming the "new you." Other times it might be that you need to let go of an unrealistic expectation - I have lots of them. Sometimes it's as simple as changing that picture in our head. That snapshot we have taken of the perfect life, the perfect path. It doesn't exist without work. Dry spells remind us that it's work.

A dry spell may be exactly what is needed to re-evaluate your journey and to reflect on where the course of your own life is headed. I am going to have some time to myself next week, something I am not really very good at doing. It's going to be a time for me to focus on me, what I want, what I need, and it's making me a bit anxious. I need to spend time with just me, my thoughts, my own self. Ohh, that is really scary to me. It's time I know, time to figure out what do I need to let go of in order to welcome new life changes I desire?

Sometimes a dry spell is what we need to force us to take that internal look and figure out what we need for ourselves. So much of my days are spent taking care of everyone else's needs that it's time I figure out what I need, what I want and figure out a way to make that happen. The hard part is that I need to figure it out for myself, how do I feel complete on my own. How do I hold my own hand on my path?