Why does this keep happening?

If something keeps showing up in your life, it’s because you haven’t learned its lesson yet.

That’s the common theory in the world of “Your life is broken, this is how I can fix it for you” gurus.

Sometimes it can take years for that thing — whatever it is — to show up again … years during  which you were comfortable thinking you’d finally conquered the demon.

Years during which you thought you had successfully figured out a way to deal with it.

Years when you slowly let your guard down.

Years you forgot the demon even existed.

And then one day … when you’re blissfully living in demon-conquering amnesia, it smacks you upside the head so unexpectedly that you are left battered and quivering, not knowing when — or if — you will ever recover.

Welcome to the turning point.  The road less traveled.  The path to your passion.

Now, I mean no disrespect to the gurus who share with you just enough information to entice you to buy their book, course, or attend their next seminar.

But consider this.

What if that something shows up again in your life, not because you missed its lesson, but because you missed its value — and its joy — the first time around.

Perhaps you were too young and eager to appreciate it.  Perhaps you were so busy focusing on your next step, that you fast forwarded through a priceless and precious time in your life.

And the Universe, in Its infinite wisdom, forgives you and offers the gift again so that you can accept the beauty of what you were too blind to see when It first offered the gift to you.

Take, for example, relationships that ended in pain and bitterness only to be rekindled years or decades later.  Or the opportunity to come back to a career you put on hold — or abandoned altogether — while you pursued something you thought would bring you greater fulfillment.

These are not lessons to be learned.  These are opportunities to appreciate things you once abandoned while you were too busy learning the lessons that prevented you from appreciating them.

It’s a subtle but crucial difference.

And now you get to go back and relive those precious moments with the wisdom of hindsight to guide you.

What keeps showing up in your life that you thought you had been done with?

Instead of pushing it away, try living in the moment and basking in its opportunity.  You never know where it might take you.

It’s your do over.  And this time you just might do it right.

Author: Barb Besteni

I've been in a writer long enough to know that change is not only inevitable, it's what keeps us going. Don't fight it, don't fear it. Embrace it and have fun. View all posts by Barb Besteni