Running Away

Too often I find myself running away.

Running away from shit I don’t like. Running away from something that’s causing me pain. Running away from something that makes me feel uncomfortable, drained, or scared.

I run and run and run, and never seem to get anywhere.

This is because running away, while sometimes necessary, is only a short term strategy.

Running away provides no direction.

If we spend all our time running away, all we’ll ever think about is what’s behind us — the very thing we are trying to get away from.

A better strategy is to run toward something.

“I hate this job and need to leave.” is a less powerful statement than “I want to work somewhere that values my individual contribution.”

“I need to get away from my current friends.” says less about what you actually want than “I want to be around people who push me and hold me accountable to chase my dreams.”

Framing things in the context of what we do want is more powerful than framing things in the context of what we don’t want.

Once we know what we want, we can use our energy to run toward it. Each day can bring us closer to something we love, not just further from something we hate.