You’re Not the Fixer. Or the Caretaker. Or the Joke Maker.

Wishing on a star is like waiting for a pot of gold.

It’s fun.

It gives you something to hold onto.

But it doesn’t produce results.

It keeps you in wish-land.

And that place?

It’s familiar for survivors.

We don’t always like reality that much.

But here’s the thing

things are different now.

You’re no longer a child.

You’re no longer a young adult lost in a narcissistic relationship.

You’re no longer the person who kept falling into that cycle.

That was a role you played.

But it doesn’t define who you actually are.

And I know—it’s hard to let go of.

You’ve become attached to it.

It’s how you’ve always described yourself:

You’re the caretaker.

The fixer.

The one who never makes mistakes.

The one who leads the perfect life.

The one who always makes everyone laugh.

The one who defects.

The one who hides.

The quiet one.

But that’s not who you really are.

Who you really are takes digging.

And I mean real digging.

You’ve got to sit down with yourself—sometimes over a long period of time.

You’ve got to ask yourself questions. Constantly.

Uncomfortable ones.

Ones that make you think.

Ones that stretch you.

Ones that feel unreal

like the answers couldn’t possibly be true.

But keep going.

Because once you get there,

you’ll see...

beyond any shadow of a doubt...

it was all worth it.

~Janice M. Burke

Image by Jasmin Chew from Unsplash