Monkey in the Middle

Between where you are and where you want to be is everything you need to get there and stay there.

I use that phrase often. That is actually the biggest lesson I have learned thus far.

I use to say things like: I know what I want and I don’t know how I am going to get it, but I will get it! That sounds like the words of a very determined woman, and I was and still am. But what I was really saying is: I want something but don’t have a clear understanding of why I want it and I am not going to take the time to design and intentional plan to acquire it. I will do something---anything---to get it! I rarley got it, and would just end up frustarted. That mindset didn’t get me very far to say the least.

My daughter came to me in frustration the other day. She was upset over a game of Monkey in the Middle. She was playing with her two cousins who decided that she should be in the middle first. My daughter had never played before so she just ran from person to person trying to tackle the ball out of their hands. She didn’t understand that there was a process to getting out of the middle. If I remember correctly, the object of the game, for the one (monkey) who is in the middle, is to catch the ball to get out of the middle. Once that person is out of the middle, he/she must throw the ball over or around the newest monkey in the middle in order to prevent another trip to the middle themselves. That is how I explained it to my daughter before encouraging her to give the game another shot.

A process is a series of actions directed toward a specific aim. It is also a series of natural occurrences that produce a change or development (can’t remember where I found those definitions to cite it). Understanding the process you must go through to get to your desired life will prevent you from being frustrated. Your frustration will leave because your process will direct you toward actions that are deliberate and intentional. You will no longer feel trapped in the middle of your journey, like a monkey, trying to tackle your way out. Once you embrace and understand your process you will develop an action plan that will get you where you need to be. In addition to your action plan, you will begin to positive changes and measurable development in specific areas of your life. You will learn lessons and develop formulas that will set you up for a series of future successes.

I don’t know where you are on your journey to success, happiness, and peace, but I guarantee that if you embrace the process and allow it to direct you, you will discover that are exactly where you need to be right now.

To Blog…Nakeia