What to Do When Nothing Seems to Be Working Out

What Do You Do When Nothing Seems to Be Working Out in Your Life?

What do you do when despite your best efforts things don’t seem to be working out in your life? Perhaps you’ve tried so hard to reach a goal, land a new job or make a relationship work, but now you feel like nothing is coming to fruition. It’s as if you’re wandering through a Barren Desert, exhausted and with nowhere to hide. How do you move forward? We all find ourselves in dry desert at some point in our lives.

While we often view this landscape as hopeless and unfruitful, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, if we remain resourceful and have courage and faith, we can thrive. As I teach you in The Map: Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life, the environment of your mind is what creates your external reality.

Throughout the book, I show you how to use the power of metaphors and imagination to delve into the deepest parts of your subconscious—your inner landscapes. These internal landscapes, which are made of your thoughts, feelings and beliefs, are one of the most important keys for shifting your outer experiences. When you explore them as enchanted environments where your emotions take on attributes of the outer natural world, you’re able to detach from your emotions and access the wisdom you need to transform your inner and outer experiences. There are numerous archetypical lands you might visit in your life.

Let’s take an in-depth exploration into some of these inner landscapes you might encounter on your path.

Today, we’re going to put on our safari hats and take off to the dry desert! You end up in the Barren Desert when you’re exhausted and it seems like nothing good will ever flourish in your life again. You’ve tried and tried, but nothing is growing in the dry soil. Your supply of creativity has dried up in the hot desert sun and you’re lost, unsure of where to go next for the sustenance you need. And, you forgot your water bottle! When most of us find ourselves in the desert, we start to panic and lose faith. We might wonder whether we’ll ever find shelter or the job we need to pay the bills. We start to worry that we’re destined to remain thirsty for more purpose. And, we may feel we’re always going to be alone, never again to experience the lush garden of love. This panic only sends us deeper into the Barren Desert. And, then if we stay too long, we’re propelled into The Ghostlands, where there’s no substance or growth.

In other words, panic and hopelessness aren’t the way out of the Desert!  If you want to get out of the Barren Desert, you must look within for the treasures and resources that will help you move forward. You can tap into the power of your internal reality by comparing it with the characteristics of a desert. Desert environments are dry and harsh, often with extreme temperature variations. The land may seem to go on endlessly, but sooner or later it turns into a greener place. There is little shelter from the sun, yet this land also has the brightest rays you can find on the earth. The plant life of the desert is tough, but surprisingly succulent. If you break open the thorny cactus, you will find water. If you dig deep in the soil, you’ll find it’s also surprisingly abundant with nutrients. In spite of external conditions, new life can and does form in this land. What wisdom can you glean from the attributes of this environment? If you find you’re in the desert in your life, you must conserve your energy rather than squander it mindlessly on worry and negativity. Savor what you have and practice gratitude for every drop of goodness. You might have to dig deep to get to the nourishment and insight you need, but its there. You also may have to break through a thorny issue or something you’ve kept guarded, but the sustenance you discover will help you move forward. Since the desert is a place of confusing mirages, you have to beware of a quick way out; when something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Even though it seems endless, you will eventually leave the desert.

If you have courage and continue to be resourceful, you will thrive. You must trust in Spirit; no matter your outer circumstances, the sun is still shining bright upon you!

Exercise:

Think of a time in your life when you found yourself in a desert. In your journal, answer these questions:

What was your life like in this desert?

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What were your predominant thoughts, feelings, and beliefs during this time? And, how did they change?

Did you find any hidden gifts and nourishment? What were they?

What did you learn by being in this desert?

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