Hello and thank you for visiting Waggish Writer.
This is the tenth blog post from a series of my journalist persona known as "A Matter of Mantra."
This post will talk about how the mantra listed in the title came into my life and how it helps me. My hope is that if this mantra resonates with you that you may use it to help live your life to the fullest.
WHERE DID MY MANTRA COME FROM
There is an irony in childhood. A child views the world as an open set of doors that leads to new possibilities. Growing up, an adult may instead find the world of a series of doors that seem closed or closes in their face.
I am one of those children who saw the doors open. I kept seeing the doors open until a door closed in my face when I was on the path to become a teacher. The snap of the door in my face stunned me. Until that point, I've never known a setback.
I've never came across a task that I could not accomplish when I set my mind to the task and applied extra elbow grease. The optimism I carried with me shattered that day and its darkness still lingers in my heart.
Time has made the steps easier to move forward. The door from my past still colors what I do, stopping me from trying or truly going for things I wish because of a deep seeded fear that life will stop me.
Then, I started my life coaching with Charlotte Kaye who helped me face the inner demons holding me back. One of her suggestions had been writing mantras to create a new set of beliefs to guide my life forward. I started looking for inspiration for my mantra writing.
I discovered one of several mantra ideas from "Success Sandbox: A Development Journal of Success & Happiness" by Ian A. Gray & Nicklaus Suino. The book was a bonus from attending his Permission event (I attended his second event where I made a connection with Charlotte Kaye and then his third event where I went with my boyfriend now my husband-to-be). From the book, the mantra "When One Door Closes, I Open Another" entered my life.
HOW MY MANTRA HELPS ME
Many conversations that I've had with those closest to me is how I proceed with my life moving forward. There is still a fear of looking at the closed doors, thinking of them as opportunities out of reach.
The mindset I am working on changing is that the closed doors do not mean they are locked. They are doors waiting to be open. The only door that closed itself was that one door when I was going to be a teacher. I opened the door to take a gap year at a community college. Where did that door lead? It lead to writing for the community college's newspaper and work experience in the service industry.
Opening that door gave me a series of articles with my name in the author byline, an experience of a lifetime of traveling abroad to Peru, and appreciation for all who work in the service industry, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am currently in a new phase in my life. There are a new series of doors before me. Their doors are not locked. All I need is courage to place my hand on the handle and see if it turns. If it turns, a new adventure awaits. If the lock is stuck, it is not meant for me. Then I go try more doors until I find the door that leads me to the future I've envisioned for myself.
No one works the same way, so I am not preaching this mantra to be a fool-proof method. It is a tool and option that is out there for those who struggle.
As a writer, I take time each time I journal to write "When One Door Closes, I Open Another" five times. Write it. Talk it. Draw it. Tackle this mantra any way that gets the message across for yourself.
If the mantra has helped in any way or the story resonates and you feel comfortable in sharing, make a comment below or feel free to Contact Me if you want it private. Let's reconsider the door that closed itself in our face and search for another door to open together.
Stay tune for more in "A Matter of Mantra" series!
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