In Monday’s episode of The Courageous Entrepreneur, Dorit Sasson and I discussed her “running away” from life in the United States to a new life in Israel where she had / has duel citizenship.
She was in college at the time and was what I’d call a “seeker.” Someone who had no idea what they wanted, where they were going, or even who they were.
In other words, she was a typical college student.
She was also looking to escape a mother who had become suffocating.
Although Dorit’s mother loved her and was a talented musician with her own career as a concert pianist, she was “fearful of everything.” That’s naturally suffocating; and Dorit was anxious to get as far away from her and that feeling of suffocation as possible.
Relocating to Israel was certainly a way to escape.
One of the issues that resonated with me and that left me thinking long after the interview was this issue of running away.
I know there are people out there who would tell Dorit that she should have stood up to her mother and said “enough!” Or that she should have just ignored the woman and her fears.
Just like there are people who think I should have stood up to my mother when she began to belittle and verbally abuse me in adult hood.
But WE’RE in the moment. It’s up to us to make the best decision we can IN that moment.
And sometimes, running away is actually the best thing to do.
True it might be avoiding the problem but I think of it as giving ourselves time for self-protection and to allow us time to collect our thoughts so we can address the problem in a healthy way.
Of course we think we’re running away FROM someone or something…something outside of ourselves, and running TOWARDS something else — a person…a place….a thing….even just running towards the unknown when the KNOWN is not what we want.
We believe that the answer is outside of us when in reality it’s INSIDE us.
Dorit had to work through different issues when she was in Israel. Life wasn’t perfect.
It’s never perfect anywhere (at least not until we grow to the point we’re able to see the perfect imperfection in it all).
She had to reflect, and grow, and figure things out for herself. And she needed to do all that without her mother’s interference.
If you missed this episode you can access the full post with show notes here or you can listen or download the recording here.
Reflect on what you may be running from in your life.
What truth are you not facing? Who and what would you and could you become if you faced it and used it as an opportunity to truly grow.
Are you still haunted by a mistake you made? By some perceived failure?
Are you running away from some situation that’s left you guilt ridden?
The answer to our greatest problem is inside ourselves.
Accessing that answer takes reflection…prayer….connecting with God and deepening our faith and trust in Him.
Looking outside of ourselves for answers — from gurus or pundits or so-called experts — but what really needs to happen is to become more in tune with God’s message for us.
I heard pastor Joel Osteen say that we don’t hear God’s message because we’re listening for it with our ears and He’s speaking to us in our hearts.
We also struggle to access the wisdom within because we feel so inadequate…as if we’re not good enough…to know the answer. Others must be smarter than we are.
So instead of running away from a problem, what if you ran towards God and asked for help….for strength….for clarity…for wisdom?
The answer your looking for and the courage you need is inside you waiting to be accessed through a connection with the Holy Spirit.
