Did you feel not-so-thankful this Thanksgiving? Are there things in your life for which you were not thankful?
As we all gathered around our homes and our families this past Thursday on Thanksgiving, people were being thankful for all the things they have in their lives -- for the wonderful people in their lives and for the food on their table.
Did some of you, though, feel less than thankful for certain things in your life? Did some of you look at your partner and your life and not feel very thankful?
Maybe you're one of the people who felt this way. Maybe you're just not happy with the way your relationship is going and the situation in which you find yourself.
On the day before Thanksgiving I was talking to a friend of mine. He said, "It's so easy to get into a car. You can go out there and buy any car in the world. You can buy a car from someone and think you got the best deal in the world... until you need to sell it. Then you realize how easy it is to get into things, and how hard it is to get out of them."
I think this is equally true about relationships. Relationships are so easy to get into. In the beginning, everything is so perfect. It's all fantastic -- you're head is in the clouds and you're on a drug called lust.
Then, all of a sudden, reality sets in. You realize that you and your partner are really very different. You have different viewpoints, different opinions, different temperaments, and different ways you want to conduct your lives.
As you start to realize all of this, all of these differences start to accumulate. That's when you realize that while it was really easy to get into that relationship, that it is really hard to get out. It's hard to get out, because by the time this all starts to accumulate, you have already created things like a marriage, children and a life filled with family vacations.
When you're at this point, it is really hard to get out because it's very difficult to be 100% honest with yourself and how you feel. It's also hard to admit that the person with whom you were once so in love may not be the love of your life.
So for those of you who are having a difficult time in your life right now -- whether it's difficulty with a relationship or work or something else altogether -- I want you to realize something really important. I want you to realize that although the hardest thing you may ever have to do is to get out of something that truly is not working for you, getting out could be the greatest thing to ever happen to you.
Getting out of a situation gives you a chance to find what you're truly looking for in your life. Be open to the possibilities.
Maybe some of you don't even need to be in a relationship right now, and you just need to be with yourself and find yourself again. Maybe some of you need to take time to really evaluate your wants and your needs.
So as we are in the middle of this holiday season, it's a good time to take a good look at your life. Instead of dealing with the life you have (especially if you're not happy with a part of your life), take a full-on look at your life. Be completely honest with yourself and see if you need to make some tough decisions. I'm here for you if you need me.