This is for the dreamers, the runaways, the butterflies and the free spirits.
The winter is here, the skies are dark and you see more of the moon than you do of the sun. Yet, as I looked up into the sky this morning, I was reminded why I love the dark winter mornings so much: I saw an old friend – The North Star.
When I was having a horribly tough time over the last few years, where more often than not I just wanted to get on a plane and disappear, I decided that the North Star should be my reminder to dig my heels in and stay grounded. Each time I saw it glowing back at me, it reminded me to rise up before the sun and keep hustling. On my worst days, I would look for the North Star and it was my little secret that kept me calm when I wanted to run.
Today, driving along the country lanes as the night sky started to fade, I was reminded of how much that star kept me sane. As stupid as it might seem, that little star kept me moving forward, it stopped me from quitting jobs and running home to bed, and more importantly, it focused me when all I felt was overwhelming panic about how I could escape.
As I drove to work this morning, having one of those days when you don’t want to play the stupid adult game anymore, I thought maybe my North Star story might be helpful to someone else one day. Maybe one day when you struggle to imagine how you’ll get through the day, when you don’t want to go to work but your bank says you must – have a look for the North Star and keep moving forward, one foot ahead of the other.
The thing is, some days you’ll feel unstoppable and no one or nothing could hold you down, but some days you will want to sell all your belongings, get on a plane and live with the monkeys on a deserted island. That’s okay. These runaway days are the most important days to dig in your heels and hold strong. Don’t stop, don’t run; just keep hustling until your life is the kind of life you want to run towards.
Remember; courage is not the absence of fear, it is not the absence of pain nor the lack of bad days; it’s the feeling you get when everything starts to suffocate you and then something deep inside screams – “fuck you … Just try and stop me!”
So today is the day you turn your face to the North Star, grit your teeth and shout “Go on, just try and stop me!”
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