37 of 58 for 58: Know When Enough Is Enough

Sometimes you cross a line. Your life changes in an instant. You fully grasp the ramifications of your latest insight.

The bottom line: you've had enough of the ways things have been. You're sick and tired of being sick and tired. Your need to change--right away. 

I've had such epiphanies throughout my life. At jobs. In relationships. More frequently, when I confront a bad habit or thought pattern and its sordid legacy.  

I knew at each of these times I could no longer proceed as is. The status quo no longer worked. 

It's not easy to know when enough is enough. It's hard to change fundamental patterns of thought and behavior. I desperately cling to what is, regardless of my knowledge that it no longer works. Because no matter how unpleasant it is, it's familiar and comfortable. 

Yes, misery can be comfortable. It's the easier path. Who knows what could come next? It could be worse!

This line of thought isn't rational. I know that. Only when I realize that enough is enough can I slay these demons and move into a new, healthier way of being. 

I wish I knew how to summon the epiphanies that trigger the realization that enough is enough. I long for a magic formula that helps me glean the insight I need to and, with it, begin on the path to fundamental change. But I don't have it. 

So I plod along. At best, I'm willing to scrutinize my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In doing so, and only by doing so, can I realize I've crossed the line from tolerable to unacceptable.  I've then realized enough is enough, and I'm ready to do something about it.