It’s a funny thing – the darkness. It would seem I’ve had a few – just as I’m sure other people have as well – negative experiences during the blackness of the night. Whether that’s hallucinogenic dreams and body aches due to the flu, a phone call that a loved-one has passed or sometimes straight-up anxiety because we have time to lay in our bed in the midnight hours as our mind runs free like a wild stallion on the western landscape reminding you of all your worries.

The night may just parallel the recesses of our minds at times. It would seem all hope is lost during those gloomy hours when there is an absence of light. Until, of course, the sun begins to rise and the skies slowly fade to blue.

It feels as if our hope is being lifted with the rising of the sun. Shortly our space is filled with light and warmth stretching to each and every corner. We shrug off the bleak views we once stood by just hours ago. We’re able to see what’s in front of us – to know what’s coming and where we’ve been. It’s comforting.

Or we can subscribe to faith. Blind as it may be, it may just be the answer to those long dark nights.

When I was younger I believed I would make a pile of cash – striking it rich – with some great new invention or becoming a famous actor and then coast the next 50-60 years of my life while laying around my home, exercising and going to see great shows.

One of my biggest realizations is that you never “arrive.” That image of pulling up to your “destination” in a black stretch limo as the crowd cheers your exit from the vehicle is flawed. Just a bit.

You never arrive. Why? Because you are constantly in process. Or at least you should be. The moment you sit back and begin to count your accolades and accomplishments is the moment you’re done.

I wished I realized that at a younger age. Not that I didn’t hustle, but it’s a perspective that I have benefitted from after understanding the big picture. When you fall in love with the process, then and only then can you have a healthy perspective of your journey forward. If we can stay away from focusing on the results and dive into the process, we’ll end up exactly where we need to be.

I have to believe the awareness to ponder our own thinking comes at a cost. To what degree I’m not sure.

A bird sings her song in the early mornings because it’s in her nature. There’s no stress, stage fright or anxiety about how she sounds or what the crows may think. She belts out her tune over and over again as she goes about her day. After all, she’s a song bird.

Maybe we overthink a bit too much, which can lead to a whole lot of nothing. Maybe we should engage in more “doing” and let the chips fall where they may. Or sing our song loud and proud and not worry about what our audience thinks.

After all, if you have to sing, then sing.

So often we get stuck at how we are going to accomplish something, attract the perfect person, solve the problem, open the new business or how we’re going to complete that creative endeavor of yours.

Believe it or not, the how is not the first step – nor the most important one – on your odyssey that lies before you. The most important step is committing. Deciding. Once we decide we cut off all other options.

However, because we are made up the way we are, we want – need – to know HOW we’re going to get it done. We want to rush ourselves to the Emerald City and throw back the curtain of the mighty wizard exposing the process for what it is.

It doesn’t work that way. We always have to take that blind step into the unknown before the universe will reveal her secrets.

We cannot forget that as there are no shortcuts for this process.

How we view and what we choose to remember about our past experiences dictates what we think and believe we can accomplish on our next endeavor.

This is important as our memories are subjective. We are experiencing them as an individual that has feelings, emotions and opinions. We can benefit from believing the memory went down a certain way in order to protect ourselves to fall in-line with our “story.”

I have always claimed I have a hard time with perspective. Because I may think something is “difficult” while another individual may not – depending on their history, life experiences, expectations, upbringing, etc.

Let’s be careful of “labeling” our memories as “good, bad, failures, successful,” or any other word that denotes a hierarchy or placement of your life experiences. As we know, the past has no bearing on the future, so let the past remain there.

Refrain from the judgement and take it for what it was: A result. If you want a different one, then try it again. There’s no reason to emotionally attach our emotions to the outcome and drag our precious-selves through the mud only to exhaust yourself and discourage further attempts.

Get up. And try again. It’s just a result. If you don’t like it, try something different.