Threshold Guardians

Actual, metaphorical or one of nature’s obstacles. A concept developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell‘s in his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). As we embark on our journey to success our path is crossed, more often than not many times, by a threshold guardian. The role of the threshold guardian is to test our resolve, our mettle, our commitment to our decision to move to the next threshold or phase of our journey. Often a huge leap of faith is required for us to resist the guardian’s attempt to weaken our resolve.

leap of faith

The act or an instance of believing or trusting in something intangible or incapable of being proved.

“Leap and the net will appear.”

All heroines on their heroic journey across the stormy sea of career advancement encounter seemingly insurmountable or even smallish obstacles or threshold guardians. At each threshold or gateway to bigger and better things there is a deep sea monster just waiting to grasp you in its tentacles. How often have you been going along very nicely in a role when along came someone who made it their number one objective to make your life hell? Who has looked you in the face and said ever so blatantly, I WANT YOUR JOB or I WANT TO DISTRACT YOU FROM YOUR JOB.

It’s useful to know about threshold guardians. These people are there to test whether we are ready to make the leap to the next level. If we are not ready to step up to the mark, we allow them to scare us off. They may also be a sign from the universe that in fact we are not actually ready to take the leap or that we are making a mistake.

It is also very useful to stand back and objectify those who impede our progress. If we can see them metaphorically as symbols of the need to be be tested, it is not so necessary to take their behaviour so personally or to demonise them.

They need to be overcome and even to be turned into allies! The world of myth and movies is full of threshold guardians – ferocious looking demon statutes standing guard at the gates of temples, border guards, any character whose job it is to temporarily block the way and test a character’s powers to move forward.

For women threshold guardians manifest as husbands, children, parents and probably more often than not low self esteem. Valuing ourselves and having great faith in our own abilities is really the only way to move on. We must value our own worth sufficiently to ask for that pay rise, to not settle for a low salary in the first place and to have the courage to accept that promotion.

  • Watch out for threshold guardians. Smile.

  • Don’t take them personally: see them for what they are – small tests or symbols making you address your readiness or otherwise  to take the leap to the next threshold or level in your life.

 

Marie Sullivan

ClearPath

Navigating Family Law ABN 95 998 920 138 

M:  0448 983 503

Skype: marierosaliesullivan

E: [email protected]

E: [email protected]

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How You Can Stay Positive Through Addiction Recovery

When you hit bottom and realized what drugs or alcohol were doing to your life, you knew something had to change. After a lot of effort and pain, you managed to get sober. That’s when you officially started your addiction recovery journey.

But as you live your new life, it’s not hard to feel guilty about what happened in the past. Plus, addiction recovery isn’t always easy. Read on for some tips on how you can stay positive while you stay sober.

Image Source: Pixabay

 

Staying Positive

When you look back at your life under addiction, you might focus too much on the embarrassing and shameful details. Doing that will just sap your willpower and make you feel depressed. To combat that, Entrepreneur recommends that you express gratitude for what you have. This focuses your mind on happy events, which helps you stay positive. Take time every day to write down what you’re thankful for — but keep it short and sweet. Too much time spent on writing things down can turn the act of writing into a stressful experience.

As you focus on gratitude, you’ll probably find your mind resisting. You’ll start to find negatives in positive situations. Psychology Today explains you need to challenge this thinking by asking yourself how to view things more positively. For example, don’t just accept that your day was bad and full of stress. Ask if there is a way to view that day positively, such as seeing challenges as opportunities. Some events really are bad, but you’d be surprised to see how often a positive outlook can help when you’re trying to stay sober.

Coping With Addiction Recovery

Being thankful and positive will both help, but addiction recovery is not always easy. There will be days when you feel like giving up and relapsing even though you know that’s a very bad idea.

National Geographic explains that you have to take this one day at a time. That means focusing on getting through each day. Of course, you can make plans for the future. Just don’t start panicking because there’s a party in a few weeks. Focus on getting through the here and now first, and worry about that party when it gets close. The same is true for feelings of guilt and shame. The past is the past, so focus on something positive in the present.

You will also need to depend on your support network. You can often fight the stress and anxiety that happens from time to time by relying on friends and family. Of course, you’ll need to have friends that support your sobriety, so you may need to keep some people at a distance. That said, having people in your life that are there when you feel weak can make a huge difference in your addiction recovery.

How Working Helps

As you cope with negative emotions, you may be surprised to learn that going to work can help. One enemy of sobriety is boredom. You can feel listless and purposeless when you sit at home too much. Going to work regularly can give you a sense of purpose that helps maintain your sobriety.

Many businesses also have Employee Assistance Programs that offer help to those in addiction recovery. They can provide counselors that can help you navigate through your journey, especially if you find problems that interfere with your work. Staying employed can really help you financially and emotionally.

Stay Positive

Addiction recovery is not over quickly. It’s a journey that can be difficult at times. To help stay positive through it, write down things to be thankful for, build your support network, and look to see if your business offers an Employee Assistance Program. Getting sober was the hard part, but staying sober still takes some work.

Sources:

How to Train Your Brain to Stay Positive; Nadia Goodman; Entrepreneur

7 Tips for Staying Positive; Erin Olivo Ph.D.; Psychology Today

10 Tips For Recovering From Addiction; Dr. Urschel and Enterhealth, LLC; National Geographic

6 Sober Coping Strategies for Handling the Demands of the Professional World; ADrugRehab.org

FAQ; US Department of Personnel Management; OPM.gov

 

Michelle Peterson believes the journey to sobriety should not be one of shame but of pride.

Her mission is aligned with that of Recovery Pride, which is to celebrate sobriety and those who achieve it.

 

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