All of life is like rungs on an ascending ladder meant to carry you to the level where you are now, with some rungs representing life events & choices below & some infinite number yet above you. That is how it works, the events & choices we make carry meaning, either positive & negative, causing our reactions & actions. We either let ourselves be defined by something positive which occurred and resulted in ascending the rungs to the next level, or we let our circumstances & the inherent negativity within them, take us into a descent.
Some people have allowed life to beat them down after so much perceived negativity or uncertainty that they believe themselves to have risen no higher than where they first started. Or worse, they choose to stay off the ladder! Their attitude has no altitude, so they as well no longer take any risks by climbing up any higher. Others have been knocked down a few times, or often even, but always consider their goals & dreams for this life to be worth taking that risk of falling or failure! They may have even been shaken off their ladder from a great height, falling flat & hitting rock bottom, but they still desire the heights at the top, so they continue to climb!
Each of us has to determine our own will, our own fearlessness & our own endurance for climbing. But life IS an uphill climb, it is always ascending, that is a given & that is our challenge to take! How we contend with it all, our attitudes & our ability to control our own emotions determines the pace of our ascent & our final altitude upon life’s completion. We might prefer the ground level, we may enjoy some place in between, but we should remember our abilities are limitless, we are meant to challenge ourselves to reach great & unexpected heights by reaching the clouds! Often times though, what we deem acceptable is merely our fear, our worry, or our tired-out will doing our thinking for us!
Ladders take us higher than the places upon which we can stand while on the ground, they serve a purpose in lifting us up, in helping us to see new vistas & perceiving new points of view. You are only assured of that when you face your fear. Step up willingly onto each new rung, risking the falls but continuing to climb! You were meant to see each new rung not as something dire, but as a step towards your destiny! Enjoy the climb, for as Jack discovered when he ascended the beanstalk – although there are challenges & fears which must be met upon the way, the only place to find the magic beans is up!!
cherylriesauthor 