I’ve heard variations on this theme, “Life gets in the way,” a lot in my day. I’ve even said those words, “Life just got in the way” when trying to comfort myself in my own failure to achieve a goal. And today, I feel the need to call “bull” on this phrase and anyone who has ever uttered it. On myself most of all.

How, exactly, does life get in the way of life? There is no logic, beyond a self serving logic, in this concept. After all, we only have one life. This is it. One run for all the marbles. You don’t get a do-over, not really.

I have a confession to make. I’ve turned into a bit of a curmudgeon lately. Really. I am the poster child for grumpiness. I have even put myself in time out more than once in the last few weeks. There is a discontent and an anger in me that feels like it’s pegging off the charts. I mean, most men of a certain age deal with these two emotions (I’m not as young as I used to be).  I just feel it rising up in me…churning like an active volcano preparing to spew.

Losing my dad has a lot to do with this, I know. (That just happened in November. More about this in the weeks ahead.)

And losing my way in the process.

It’s been nearly six months since I published a post on this blog. There are plenty of reasons, even some pretty good ones. And LOTS of excuses. But at the end of the day, you know what got in the way? Me. I did.

That’s the whole ugly truth of the matter. I got in the way. In the two years since I published my first blog, I’ve grown to love the maddening art of writing to teach, to communicate, and to explore. I never set out to be a writer. But I needed to get a message out there. I believed I could help some people.

Looking at the stated purpose of this blog, to help myself and others to #lookdeeper, I need to dig deeper into why I haven’t published anything these past months. Where is the discontent and anger coming from? And, more importantly, what am I going to do about it? I don’t want to be content with just existing or oozing through life. I don’t want to feel like I’ve missed the mark, or missed my calling, or missed the point. And worse, I don’t want my children to miss out on their best life because I didn’t set a good example for them.

So I choose to shake off the dust and regret and to shut out those nagging feelings of doubt and failure. I’m choosing, instead, to set out back on the journey. I’m choosing to take action. Because I must. And because I know that I’m the only one who can stop me.

So here we go…with only moments to spare, I’ve met a goal I set at the beginning of February to re-launch the blog. Does it look like I wanted it to? No. Is it accompanied with the brilliant marketing strategy rolling around in my head? Not even close. But at the beginning of January, I heard God speak the word “action” over this year. I’m great with the words…but the actions, not so much. This is action. This is faith. Because, I’m the only one who can stop me.

And you’re the only one who can stop you. So where do you need to take action? What have you laid down that you need to pick back up? What have you put off starting that you need to just get moving on? When will you take that next step?

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to feel right or good. Just do something.

What needs to get done? Get after it.