Fishin In The Swamp

As a child, we had a swamp in the weeds directly behind our house which was nothing more than a mosquito hatchery.  In the winter though, our neighbor boy worked very hard to turn it into a beautiful ice skating rink that we enjoyed for four months out of the year.  But come spring, the mosquitos made being outdoors unbearable and during those times we decided to explore the swamp, we found all kinds of discarded garbage and debris that really had no business being anywhere other than a toxic dumpsite.  Yet there was always some fool who decided that fishing in the swamp was a good idea and there were several who became severely sick after eating their catch.

As a therapist and life coach, one of the biggest root sources that cause my clients distress is the fact that they fish in the swamp and the symptoms manifest in several - if not all - keylife areas.  Again, chaos in one keylife area will spill into the other ones.  There's no way around that and you can't believe that you can be doing the skanky doodle dance in any life area and keep it contained there.  Not happening!  As they say, "Your sins will find you out!"  By that I mean unhealthy, toxic behaviors and habits will come back to haunt you and will shout out their identity from the mountain tops while pointing the finger right at you!

It is impossible to see new results of you continue to fish in the swamp - even if you switch swamps!  Some make the mistake of believing that if they just fish in a different swamp, things will improve.  Wrong answer!!!!  So, next time you go fishin, don't fish in the swamps.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• "Is this door that I am opening going to enhance my life and those that are in my charge?"
• "Does this person, activity, or thing I am inviting or letting in bring me closer to my life passions and goals of wellness, health and fulfillment or will it ultimately push me further away?"
• "How will this 'fish' affect those I love?"
• "How will this fish affect my reputation and the respect that others have in me?"
• "How will this fish affect the confidence levels of others in my life who depend on me, or whom I may depend on for my livelihood?"
• "How will this fish affect my long-term health and wellness and that of those in my charge?"
• "What am I willing to lose to have this swamp thing in my life?"

Where we choose to fish manifests itself in the results - or lack of - that we experience in our lives.  You are not going to catch flounder or red snapper in the swamp and the swamp is anything that deviates from your spiritual, ethical, moral, and key-life area goals.  And like the magical ice skating rink of my childhood, all fish look beautiful when we first catch them!  We marvel at how perfect they are.  But come spring, the ice will melt, the fish will rot and only then we will see the true extent of the stench that our catch brought into our life when we discover that we our fish is nothing but a curse.