Part 2 (of 3): Confronting Hopelessness

Part 2 (of 3): Confronting Hopelessness

So you accepted that you are guilty of a mistake. But you think it's hopeless to make up for it. Look at the damage you've done. Look at it. It may be truly, truly terrible.

But no one is immortal, and the results of your actions will not endure forever; nor will your torment over them. And while you can't change what's behind you, you can certainly influence what's ahead.

Think back to the very first time you considered doing that thing, the thing you now see as a mistake. The very first time you "realized" it was what you wanted. There was a light.

Is this current moment - the moment in which you see the error you made and are deciding to fix it - any different? Is the light any dimmer?

The last time you chose a path, it started with a thought, an impulse, a wish. Did you have to work extra hard make it "feel" like the right thing to do? Chances are, it was easy. You probably just kept on the path that was most comfortable, or most relatable, and before you realized any time had even passed, there was a long path behind you.

That's all it is. When going forward, just go forward. Your perspective of what's "right" may have changed, but it's only because you're an older, wiser, more experienced person now. Your spirit has matured. Go ahead and accept that too, and you now have a legitimate reason to feel pride - and without anyone's influence on your accomplishment.

Your company will now and always consist of people who have no right to judge you. You will instead notice only those who praise and admire you because of that choice you made in the quiet hours alone: to listen to that voice inside. The voice you used to ignore because it wasn't loud or forceful or filled with pleasing sounds.

In that crucial moment of choice, you took a bold chance on the faith that it might improve yourself, and although it was not immediate, the results have already begun to show. Moreso with very new moment you encounter as you take individual steps in individual new moments.

It's a whole new beginning. And therefore never too late.

The very opposite of hopeless.