Susie Pitts, CMA, CGS
Grief | Loss | Bereavement
The journey we have all been through over the last year has brought new meaning to words we know all too well. Words and phrases like isolation, fear, abandonment, loss of hope, fear, sadness, pain, suffering, fear, neglect, loss, fear, depression, loss of self, lack of motivation, fear, etc., are all a part of our vocabulary now. (Yes, I repeated fear five times). What most people don't connect to is how fear runs amok in our lives.
It’s time to let go of fear and restore balance to your life. Know these things:
1. You are here for a reason, a purpose, and even though things have changed, and your world has been turned upside down, backward, sideways, and crooked, you are meant to be here.
2. You can go on. You are at a unique moment of awakening to make a tremendous shift in your being and your reason why.
3. The fork in the road is pulling you in a direction that you might be afraid to accept or even contemplate. What if you put all that fear away, just tabled it, and created a life of joy and wonder, and honored your purpose?
Let’s talk about that thing called fear. Have you said, “I want to write my story,” and then, just as suddenly listened to the critics in your head that say, "You can't do that, you are not a writer, your story will be boring to readers?” Here is my proclamation. Dismiss that panel of judges because they are not honoring you and your journey. The question is: Do you have the courage to bring forth your hidden gifts and talents that you have ignored all these years because of fear, lack of time, energy, or motivation? If your immediate answer to the challenge is, "Of course I do, I have already written a book, and the adventurous side of me wants to try kiteboarding, but I'm afraid.” Then there is your answer. You have allowed the critics to judge you and undermine your confidence. You have allowed fear to dictate the trajectory of your life. The truth is, you can write a book or learn to kite-board. Here's the catch, it doesn't mean that you don't experience fear anymore; rather, you realize that being fearless means being brave. Look at fear, see it, feel it, and hear it, but know this, it does not own you or rule your life. Fear measures the risk involved in the endeavor; it has no hold on you unless you allow it.
It's time to retrieve yourself from what you have lost and reclaim your purpose in life. Yes, the one we are living in here and now. It is, in fact, a paradigm shift. You may have liked the old ways, the pre-Covid ways, the pre-Covid dreams of tomorrow. These losses can be terribly upsetting and can be downright scary to face. The loss you are experiencing is actual but dealing with the sadness and grief of yesterday's dreams is imperative to moving toward the future.
The path to calm and restoration is believing, having courage, reclaiming wholeness, acknowledging what you have experienced. You may remember that I subscribe to: “there is no way around grief; there is only through.” Please pay attention to your loss; ignoring it and putting on a brave face will only suppress your feelings, which can negatively impact your physical, emotional, and spiritual body. It’s ok to grieve - allow yourself the time to process it. There is no end game here; mourning our losses takes as long as it takes. It's not easy; I know that, but I also know the path to wholeness, joy, and restoration requires attention to what was, what is, and the acknowledgment of a future that may not be what we had previously hoped but, accepting and reconciling can help us find joy and happiness again.
If you are suffering from losses, current or past, whether it be from the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a significant move, the loss of a pet, a breakup with a friend, or you are experiencing isolation, fear, and anxiety - know that I am here. I'm just a phone call away.
Susie Pitts
Grief | Loss | Bereavement
503.730.6700
