We talk about ghosts. Not the past. Not our departed friends, family, or loved ones. But, the ghosts we create in our minds. The little goblins that give us doubt. They suck the joy away from us. They make us overthink.
Ghosts stop us from living. Full stop.
The only way to break free from their haunts is to confront them head-on.
As I think about what that means, I cannot help but picture the priest from The exorcists sitting on the bed condemning the demons in the possessed girl, her head spinning like a merry-go-round on crack cocaine, spewing vile hatred from her mouth.
Too far?
Maybe.
Accurate?
Definitely.
That scene, in all its cinematic glory, was meant to be gruesome. It was meant to shock the conscience. It was meant to show what happens when you confront something head-on.
It takes work.
It is the obstacle.
It is the way.
Growth is messy. Growth is full of failure. Growth is confronting your demons, only to fail them time and time again.
Growth is exhausting.
Growth is also beautiful.
When applied with the enthusiasm and consistency of a hungry lion stalking its prey, giving up to nothing, growth becomes us. Growing is not for the weak of the heart, for it challenges us to look deep within our veiled souls and expose ourselves to who we indeed are.
Once exposed, growth makes us inventory who we are against who we want to be and what we can become. Consistency is key.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. But I’ve never been to Rome. However, I have seen construction barrels linger on an unending interstate system, cascading orange against the fresh blacktop for as far as the eye can see. Some barrels take decades to be removed.
The question is, are you worth the decades you will take on yourself?
There are no easy ways to fight ghosts. My best advice is to find a Ghostbuster (mentor) and get to work. It is incredible what a bit of constructive criticism can do for you when mixed in with a hint of self-awareness.
Who you gonna call?