You Need To Walk Away

Since the tentative age of our earliest days, we’re taught how to walk forward. Our parents clapped and cheered us on when our toddler legs carried us to a destination, and we learned what gratification was from these simple actions. Slowly, we learned to crawl, walk, and then run. Before we could even articulate the word “stop,” we were already racing off with our hearts on our sleeves. No one was ever around to teach us how to walk away, even when the hurt becomes immeasurable and our bodies grow weary of the journey. We’ve only known how to chase; even in the midst of falling and failing.

When does enough become enough?

At what point in our life do we finally stop in our tracks to look around and realize that we are not where we want to be? I don’t believe that we’re fated to keep riding this cycle until it ruins us. In a game of survival, there has to be a part of us that understands that what we’re doing.

This constant chase for the impossible, is killing you.

There has to be a point when our hand touches the proverbial stovetop just one too many times and we pull away, the burn leaving its last mark.

We have to stop reaching for the things that hurt us.

Chasing is easy. It’s an effortless need guided by desire, and our bodies are conditioned to carry out that impulse. Whether it’s our lips moving forward for one last kiss or our fingers shooting out one more text, we’re creatures of habit. We can’t stop ourselves from making the same mistake over and over because we’re still searching for happiness in the same place where we lost it. But walking away has never been about simplicity; it’s merely a matter of willing ourselves out of familiar patterns. It’s a choice that we have to make everyday with the understanding that as difficult as this is, the alternative is far worse.

You do not want what you’re fighting for; you just merely don’t how to stop reaching.

If you have to convince yourself something’s worth it, it’s not.

The worthy pursuits in life are the ones that will make you a better person. Before you take another step towards what you desire, ask yourself if it’s worth the cost of something greater. Remember that walking away isn’t the end of the journey; it just means that you’re on your way to a better path. Your energy is too precious to be wasted on something so treacherous when there are so many delights still to be discovered. Love yourself enough to search for the good instead of digging for the bad.

Do not feed the your demons with endless streams of “What if’s?” and delusions of “maybes.” They do not deserve your precious time, thoughts, ideas, and hopes. Walking away starts the moment when you stop sacrificing parts of yourself to fan the fire that’s burning you alive. It means canceling the flight, blocking the number, unfollowing the account, and giving up the chase for something bigger: You. Walking away means doing what you want least for the sake of what you need the most. Whether it’s a person or habit, we have to push ourselves away to move forward.

Walking away is just a matter of choosing yourself over what hurts you most. If nothing else, remember that. When you’re tempted to fall back in seduction’s trap again, ask yourself this: who do you value more? Respect yourself to follow the path that’s best for you, even if it’s far from where you are.

From there, you can only go up.