There may be a thin line between "the end of the road" and "the light at the end of the tunnel." The tiniest shift in perspective.
I wonder how many stories of transcendence begin with "losing everything."
When I look at the milestones in my life, the only time I ever lost a job, I was laid off from not one but two of the most suitable jobs I'd ever had... The circumstances were shitty and left me destitute.
In that moment, I became one of those people who had nothing to lose, nothing left to pursue other than those things I'd always wanted to, meant to… was born to do.
I spent my last $30 on a domain name and hosting for my first web site. For a while, I lived as a shut-in, teaching myself programming languages and obsessively practicing the tools I needed to master.
Everything I've created in the last decade began in that time of total devastating collapse.
I can't help but wonder if I would have ever taken that leap of faith if all my other options hadn't been exhausted.
I believe that's definitely the case. For me.
And, at that time, I probably didn't have half the self-awareness that you have. (I wasn't open to reading sites like this one.)
Maybe (hopefully) yours doesn't have to be such a sob story.
But, if you find yourself in a comparable place, grab the hope and hold on tight -- that we're talking about a matter of perspective, here -- that the light at the end of the tunnel and the fire that burns your life to the ground emanate from the same indistinguishable kind of flame.
Image credit h.koppdelaney via Creative Commons on Flickr