Life is full of surprises; it often contains twists that catch us by surprise and that we often never saw coming. Sometimes, the things which previously brought joy and excitement in our lives may turn around and hold us back, even hurt us. This can be said regarding some of our dreams, comforts, and habits we once loved-what lifted us up can also weigh us down. As they say, “It is the same rain you loved that drowned you.” The message being heard tells us clearly that we use excuses to hold ourselves back from our highest potential. By recognizing these patterns, we open to growth and resilience, finally reaching the things we truly desire.
Excuses can be comforting. They protect us from the pain of straining beyond what is comfortable and, oddly, relieve us even from the fear of failure. Our justifications and rationalizations work very much like the rain in soothing and nourishing us, setting us at ease with ourselves and where we are. It gives us license to stay precisely where we are, sheltered from risk. But herein lies the truth: too much of that comfort, too many of those reasons we can’t, the fire of our dreams eventually drowns in them. And when we continue to lean on excuses, we risk becoming our own obstacles, chained to the very limitations we created to protect ourselves.
We blame everything for our failure, when in fact it is just a reiteration of accustomed patterns that have been in our system over and over again, so much so that the effect is that they have become truth. Perhaps we tell ourselves that we don’t have time to try for something; we’re just not ready, or the conditions are not right. These reflect a kind of rain we allow to fall, time after time in our mind, until we are drenched, saturated, and unable to move or get out of that place. The circumstances aren’t holding us back; it’s the story we tell ourselves about those circumstances. In acknowledging this, we invite the possibility to rewrite that story.
There’s power in owning our story. It is not always easy to admit that, at times, the comfortable barriers have been our own excuses. This work is not easy to do because doing so means facing the possibility that, all the while, perhaps the only thing holding us back was our own willingness to stay where we were. This is not about blame or self-criticism but about self-awareness. When we see that we have a hand in our growth, we regain control. The rains that once appeared so appealing, the excuses to which we once desperately clung, lose their power to drown us when we realize our capability of stepping out from under them.
Imagine for a moment, how your life might shift if you stopped letting those old excuses prescribe reality. What would happen if you let go of the belief that you’re not ready or that the timing isn’t right? What dreams would you chase if you trusted yourself enough to make that first move, even when conditions weren’t perfect or fully aligned? Truthfully, the stars and planets will never completely align. Waiting for “someday” keeps us cycling in the realm of waiting. If we’re going to move forward, we have to learn to walk in the rain-embracing both the excitement and the challenges that come with growth.
The scariest part in letting go of excuses often is the aspect of the unknown. Opening ourselves up to a life beyond reasons why we can’t, we must then ask if we really have what it takes. That vulnerability can be uncomfortable at the least and intimidating. Growth, however, is not supposed to be easy. The discomfort of stepping outside our excuses is the price we pay for the joy of discovering our potential. It is through the process of going through the fear and embracing the unknown that we tap into strengths we never knew we had. Every step we take despite an excuse is a step taken toward self-discovery, resilience, and courage.
Just as the rain can be a metaphor for the excuses we harbor, it also can symbolize renewal. Rain may drown, but it also cleanses the ground, fertilizing the soil and giving way to new life. In releasing old excuses, much as when we release our hardness, we open ourselves for new growth and new beginnings. We can begin to see any past choices or limitations as part of the journey, not failures. Every excuse that we release becomes part of the ground where our strength will grow from. So it is with the storms in our lives: just as the earth is restored to even greater beauty after the storm, so can we too be restored to greater beauty by letting go of what has bind us all these years.
Ultimately, a choice lies before us: a choice to stay safe in our excuses or step out in the rain and brave into the unknown. Yes, at times, the path may get wet and messy, and we may feel a little feeble. But this is where the real strength is built. In facing the rain, daring to walk through it, we give ourselves the gift of resilience. We show ourselves that we are capable of weathering life’s storms, able to be strong even when conditions aren’t perfect.
Now, with this said, as you stand on the precipice of your comfort zone, keep in mind that the same rain you used to love for its comfort and safety does not have to drown you. Let go of excuses, push forward into the life you have envisioned, and trust that you can do more than what once held you back. This is a journey, not to deny the rain, but to learn how to thrive in the rain. Let it be that the rain that once stilled you now fuels the charge toward your dreams and the person you purport to be.
