Do Over!

...it's how the tough get going

pc: Michigan daily

Did you know?

The colour purple is known as the symbol of royalty because, in ancient times, the extraction process was too expensive, and only the royals and the ‘House of Lords’ could afford it.

I would have linked a detailed article, but we don’t want you getting distracted so early on in this piece, right?

It feels good to write you again, Pilot. Wagwan? 

Gist me in the comments.

On to the business of the day.

The ‘Do Over’ Principle of life.

Fun fact: today’s issue was inspired by a movie. If I were the director, I’d have named it this. (Before you go searching, you movie binger-you.)

In this movie, the actress died in an accident but wasn’t allowed to ‘die’ until she set some things right. She was the typical popular mean girl who preyed on girls and guys, but there was one particular lady she had to set things right with. So, she kept reliving her death day over and over again until she figured out who it was and what she had to do.

Feels like a fever dream, I know. 

It’s one thing to go through hell, make it out alive, and be grateful to God. It’s another thing to go through hell, make it out, and be thrown right back into it as if life is telling you, ‘Not good enough, try again!’

It’s a loop. You barely survive a challenge, and before you take a deep breath and roll your sleeves for the next one, you’re thrown into the same dungeon again. 

You think you’ve overcome that addiction, be it gambling, porn, masturbating, etc.… Until you were stressed and needed an escape. 

You thought because you spent one week without soda, you were indestructible… Until you went to get drinks with a friend.

You thought you’d finally overcome doom scrolling because you went three days without it, until the next week and every day after you sleep by 3 am. 

These are the popular examples. Some things run deeper and harm our mental health more.

It’s frustrating thinking you’ve overcome one mountain only to be pushed down another with similar features. 

You’re proud of yourself today and angry at yourself barely 24 hours later.

‘Why do I even try?’ 

‘Maybe I’m a lost cause’ 

‘Could life get any worse?’

Thoughts like these plague your mind, constantly tugging at your self-worth, confidence, and ability to show up.

You get the point, and I’m trying to keep this short. So, the next question is, 

Why does this happen?

I was in this rut and brooding on why life was constantly ‘letting me fall’ back to things I thought I’d overcome, and one random day, it hit me. 

It wasn’t life; It WAS ME.

And probably YOU, too.

You thought you ‘overcame’ a situation, but what happened was that you barely survived it. And when that’s the case, the lessons for the next phase you were supposed to learn are in your blindspots. 

Picture this.

In a post-apocalypse zombie movie, there’s always one person who was badly injured/on the verge of death and the other who’s stronger, faster, and keeping the wounded person alive, right?

Who is more equipped to survive longer, be alert if danger is near and even help others stay alive?

Your answer is the same as mine.

Many of us survive a phase as the wounded/barely alive person. This is why life throws us back into it until we learn how to tend to our wounds, heal faster, and become the ‘skilled soldier’ who won’t be a liability to the next person, the world, or your world.

Sounds horrible, but look at it this way.

You have a calling on your life to make your world a little bit better. And you would help no one if you’re floating through life with no tangible lessons. Your day ten would mean the world to someone’s day one. If you have no documentation, no tangible SYSTEM that got you to where you are, how would you impart the next person?

Being in the ‘Na God & Luck’ crew is cool. But remember the bombastic side eye you gave someone who told you that when you asked a question and expected actionable answers? Exactly. The truth is there is a merciful God, but most people answer this way because they barely survived and are naive enough to think it is luck alone…yuck

Sadly, many role models/mentors fall into this category. It’s why all their advice sounds the same, like a broken record.

Imagine I didn’t sit down to analyse my situation objectively instead of just wailing, crying, and feeling sorry for myself. You won’t have this piece today. And it will be one of the most enlightening things you’ll read. 

It’s the kind that pulls you through tough times because you know life’s tactics better and begin to see every challenge as an opportunity to level up instead of a losing game.

Deep breaths. 

Humans underestimate the work needed to move from point A to point B. Suddenly, you realise AWARENESS of the problem is insufficient, and motivation can only last for a while. 

So, the next time it seems like you’re constantly going through a loop before you lose your mind, sit down and ask yourself,

‘What lesson is life trying to teach me? What can others learn from this? Because;

You can’t get that A if you keep reading two days to an exam because you know ‘you’d cover.’ 

You can’t overcome that bad habit if you keep surrounding yourself with company/friends who see it as ‘just one small thing.’

I could go on & on.

So ‘Do Over,’ figure out the lesson, and watch that heartache become a burden that can only be lifted once you’ve figured out your unique way out.

You are not alone, and you can always mail me here if you have any questions. I’ll write back as soon as I can. Or if you’d love to connect with me on WhatsApp, text me personally.

I hope this helps.

Till i gra…

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Oh, I bet you’re still curious. Here’s a more detailed piece on the purple controversy

And the name of the movie that inspired this is Before I Fall. You’d connect the dots better if you read the plot.

Till my pen graces your screen again,

To Piloting.