So, today’s discussion is a little bit about you; but mostly, it has a lot to do about me. Ugghh! Sorry to sound so selfish here, but I’m currently on hold in the Valley of Indecision and it’s a frustrating place to be.
I’ve been in the valley before, but NOT THIS DEEP. It’s the pits. Figuratively, of course. But, I’m in waaaayyyy too deep, and I’m trying to climb my way up to the surface. I mean . . . if I could just get back to where I started from, then I’d be ahead of where I am now.
Now, I don’t intend to go into the details of exactly what brought me to this valley. (You can use your imagination — but keep it clean, please.) Let’s just say that I have so many starts to this current project I’m working on that I’m literally at a stand-still for the moment. The competing ideas keep coming, and they’re literally hampering me at this point.
If you’ve been around Degrees of Maternity for awhile, you know me and my desire to simplify life. I’ve accomplished a lot in this area of my life. And, I’ve made substantial moves to simplify things. I really have. Actually, I’ve had some personal life experiences occur that are forcing me to uncomplicate some of the components in my life. So, I really have no choice but to keep along this trajectory.
But here’s the thing.
How do you truly uncomplicate something as complicated as the human mind?
How do you turn off the imagination wheels that keep a-churnin’ with new stuff that wants to be added to your life-goals mix? I mean . . . you thought you had all the perfect ingredients to the batter figured out already.
And then . . .
“Ugghh!”
I know I’ll eventually settle down and come to terms with the obvious choice in the Valley of Indecision; but for now, I’m stuck.
What do you do in those moments? Seriously! I’m asking, because —
I’M REALLY STUCK!
Too many ideas (to pursue) are appearing to be viable opportunities all at once. And, the stuff in my head is swimming a bit.
So, it’s extremely important that I figure this out and calm the mental gymnastics that’s going on up there.
Do you have any advice for me?
Yes, I know it’s not fair of me to ask you for sound wisdom on this conundrum I’m in without knowing the particulars of the situation, so I’ll give you an out. The “What do you do” and “Do you have” questions were very much rhetorical, in nature.
I don’t expect you to answer me back, unless you’d like to. But, no pressure. Really.
It just wouldn’t be fair to ask for your advice on something you don’t have enough information about.
And that’s why I started out by saying that this writing exercise was more about me than you. The act of writing tends to reveal something profound to me every time I do it. Never fails.
Here’s what THIS writing exercise is telling me as I’m typing these words out:
I need to come to terms with the fact that I may need to make a decision from the Valley of Indecision rather than thinking I’m going to climb my way up and out to a perfectly-combed meadow where decisions shine bright like a sun without cloud cover.
Sometimes, you just need to take a minute and write out your woes. Your frustrations. Your set-backs. Your hindrances. Your “too many idea” days that leave you doing nothing at all.
It happens.
And, writing for healing will do the following for you (IF YOU LET IT)–
It’ll allow you (in written form) to vent out the junk that’s sitting you down and holding you back.
In fact, I haven’t made a definitive decision yet, but I’m inching closer to it.
Writing this out has helped me realize that circumstances may not align perfectly for me to make the decision(s) I need to in order to get me back on track and moving forward.
Sometimes, we (as human beings) have to make difficult decisions from places we don’t care to be in.
You just witnessed an authentic and off the cuff exercise in writing therapy.
Now, ask me if I feel better after doing it. I double dare you!
degreesofmaternity.com 
You’re so right and I appreciate you telling it like it is, my friend. Yes, I’ve come out of the Valley of Indecision and I’m no longer feeling stuck. It took a minute, because my mind has been going back and forth on a big project I’m getting ready to roll out. And, I want to make sure I’m serving others in a way that’s suited for me to serve and that will provide benefit to those I’m serving. So, it’s been somewhat of a mind battle, but I’m feeling good about the direction I’ve decided to take Degrees of Maternity for the rest of 2023. Thanks for the “just go with your gut” advice. That’s pretty much what I’ve decided to do, because there is progress to be had. And, the only way to see progress is to get unstuck and get moving. (Prayerfully, in the right direction.)
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Fascinating and fantastic blog post Jana. Well, all I can say is you need to make a pertinent decision if you want to be unstuck from this valley of indecision💯
Also, I can’t believe that you can be indecisive, yes this blog post highlights your goals and that you have tried to simplify things for the good but if these ideas and opportunities come in numbers leaving you unsure which one to take, just go with your gut and take the final decision because at the end of the day, you need to decide if you want to see progress👏👏
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Yes, your words always bring joy to me. And, thanks so much for allowing me to spotlight you and your words in an upcoming blog post. I appreciate your support of me and Degrees of Maternity and I want to acknowledge how blessed of a community I have. So, stay tuned.
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Jana,
I am glad what I said made you feel better, now I feel better!
You can use anything of mine any way you like, you do not need to ask, after all, this is the internet.
All the best.
Regards, Phil
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Phil! Could I just take what you’ve said and put it in a blog post sometime? I’m serious! I would love to highlight you in an upcoming blog post and mention that a wonderful blogging friend of mine responded to a question I posed and did so in such an absolutely beautiful fashion. Really. I’m serious, so let me know if I can quote your response sometime. It would be my extreme honor. Also, I couldn’t have stated what you stated any better. Absolutely beautiful! And, I’m listening, for sure. I know what you’ve stated to be true, but I need reminders of it every once in a while. So, thank you. Anyway, to answer your question — “yes, I do feel better. And, I’ve even come to a decision from the Valley of Indecision.” Now, I’m not so sure that the writing exercise helped me actually come to my determination, because I had been deliberating on the matter waaaayyyy before the writing exercise and it could be that it was just time for me to make the decision when I did (without the influence of the writing therapy). But, I did feel extremely better by the simple act of writing (typing) out my dilemma at the time. I appreciate your candor and realness as always, Phil. Thanks again for the inspirational and encouraging words. They’re powerful written and even more so followed.
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Jana,
Now, you dared me to ask you if you now feel better after writing the above. Do you?
To be honest, I think I know the answer.
I am sorry to hear that things are getting on top of you somewhat. Without knowing the details, I think it may have something to do with your eagerness to achieve many things at the same time. It is always good to have goals, aspirations, and destinations, but these must be tempered with direction, ability, priorities, family, and health. I believe that the word “balance” is very relevant at this stage of the discussion. All eight of the above relevant words, and their meanings, need to be in every person’s mind as they progress through life. Maintaining that balance, between the sometimes-competing aspects of one’s life, ensures that we focus on what is most important first, and work down the list from there.
I know I have mentioned this before, but we all need to work on our priorities in life and ensure that we stick to them. Health and family are probably the two that should be on the top of everyone’s priority list because, without those, life becomes unbearable.
I hope that this finds you in a better place and that the future is now looking brighter.
If the above helps you feel better, it makes me feel better.
All the best.
Regards, Phil
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