Run To

Many of us want change. We want something different. Ultimately, we want to live our dream lives. But often, we do not know what that is. We just know that our dream life is not our current situation. Perhaps it is a dead end job, poor physical health, a toxic environment, or a bad relationship. Something is wrong, we know it, and we just can’t live like this anymore. Thus, we do the logical thing, we seek change. Immediate change.

Alas, without a clear idea of what our dream life is, of where we actually want to go, the change we seek often equates more to escape. We run from.

This works for a time, but without a set destination in mind, we will undoubtedly return to that which we know. It may not be good for us, but at least it is familiar, and maybe, we tell ourselves, we can make it work this time. Until, of course, we reach another breaking point somewhere along the road, kickstarting a whole new cycle of escape and return, repeated again and again until we’re on our deathbed.

Escape doesn’t stick.

For change to truly take hold, a destination is required. Not physically—though creating space from a problem is certainly helpful to allow for a clarity of thought—but mentally. We must establish the destination of our character, of the person we want to become. Only then, when we have that vision, can we begin to take actions that will bridge the gap between who we are now and who we know we can be.

It is not enough to run from. We must have somewhere to run to.