Running away from your problems is a race you’ll never win

As I’ve gotten older I’ve really tried to keep myself out of trouble and I’m doing pretty well, thank goodness! It’s not that I go looking for trouble but sometimes it just seemed to find me – usually because of something I said OR it was something someone said I said. So I have had to be more careful because I don’t want to hurt anyone and I don’t want to cause harm. I want to be thought of as kind person.

But often I look around and see that some of my peers, friends and colleagues seem to look for trouble, find trouble and then jump in with both feet. Then they wonder why they are stymied in finding success in their life. My thought for today is the idea that running away from your problems is a race you’ll never win.

Why? Because your problems will follow you, catch you and drag you down again just when you start to make positive progress. You’ve seen it in your own life and in the lives of others I’m sure. Isn’t it amazing to watch someone begin to embark on a great adventure or job or opportunity and then seem to fizzle out or have to re-start or stop completely.

Now it would seem to make sense to just ignore or forget or act as if the problem isn’t real or true or as bad as it may seem. I’m sure that occasionally that might work and that time does erase many issues. But I think for your long-term success – you might need to consider the old saying, “…running from a problem is a sure way of running into a problem…” or into more problems.

We see this everyday with politicians, sports figures, and media celebrities. And it’s not just the big issues like drugs or alcohol, stealing, or lying to a grand jury. No, it’s the little things that get you tangled up. The words you said or didn’t say, promises made and broken, commitments you agreed to and then backed out of or walked away from. It might have been a financial deal you struck that went bad, or a lie you told that was found out, or you took something and didn’t return it or you’ve not been true to your values or your word.

Friend, if you’ve ever wondered why you haven’t progressed to where you should be in your amazing life – may I suggest that you’re wasting valuable time running away from your problems. If you could settle the matter, you could leave it behind and keep going without the weight of the burden dragging you along.This is not an issue of blame and at this point in your life who knows who’s to blame anymore but the problem still exists, feelings are still hurt, and issues have not been resolved. It is holding you back and may be causing you harm.

I don’t know your situation but I do know if it is taking up space in your head – rent free…

Thanks for reading. If you have a friend who needs to hear today’s message please forward this email.  I am reading this week’s podcast in the link below. You can listen now or download for later. Download all my podcasts from iTunes, Stitcher, Podkicker or Soundcloud. I am now publishing on Medium – please follow me here