You know those times when you’re feeling at your absolute worst.
Looking back, it might be from lack of sleep.
It might be tension in a relationship after a fight.
Something isn’t going your way at work.
In those moments, it can be hard to see the sun.
The clouds feel heavy, obscuring any reasonable path forward. Planning feels impossible. Imagining a future feels out of reach.
When our cups are full...when we’ve rested, when our relationships feel steady, when we’re properly nourished...the clouds lift. The sky feels brighter. The path forward is clearer.
In It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is at his absolute lowest. He can see only one option...the darkness of despair. He cannot see the family that depends on him. He cannot see his relationships. He cannot see his value. That blindness leads him to consider ending his life.
It takes an otherworldly intervention...a kind of “zoom out” function...for George to finally see his worth. To understand the impact of his presence. To recognize the lives he has touched simply by being himself.
So what is our zoom-out function?
How do we stay out of the darkness long enough to look for the light?
Often, it begins with rest.
With reflection.
With time spent with family and loved ones.
In those moments, we begin to see not only the value we bring to others, but the value they bring to our lives as well.
It takes effort. And the first step out of the darkness is recognizing that you’re in it...then allowing yourself to pause, to rest, and to breathe.
Because the world needs you.
And the people around you need you.
I explored this idea in my emotional review:
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