How Frustration Fuels Freedom
I'm pretty pumped, friends. I am four months sober as of yesterday. I've had a lot of people asking me if it has been a hard thing to do while being out on the road and in bars most nights. I have to be honest, it has not.
Choosing to do a sober year for me is much more than just not drinking. It is freedom. Freedom from wasted days being hungover. Freedom from operating at 50% rather than 100%. Freedom from guilt and regret. Freedom from wondering whether or not I did something or said something to hurt someone else. Freedom from damaging my body and my brain. Freedom from wasting money and making bad decisions. Freedom from crippling anxiety.
I knew going into 2025 that I wanted to make some serious changes. I felt like alcohol was blocking me in so many ways. I felt like it was minimizing my potential. It's been the one of the easiest things to give up, hindsight, because I was constantly frustrated with how things were going in my life. I felt disconnected: spiritually and mentally. I felt out of alignment every single time I would drink…not necessarily in the moment, but definitely in the days that followed.
For me, taking alcohol out of the equation also meant eliminating all of my excuses. It meant not waiting until tomorrow. It meant there would be no more “me versus me.” David Meltzer said it best: “You can't live a new life with an old mindset.”
I will forever be grateful for my frustration because it paved a way for a freedom I've never experienced. When we can turn our frustration and regrets into an opportunity for growth, we can finally begin seeing the bigger picture and give ourselves grace, along with forgiveness. One of the most beautiful things about life is that you can choose something different at any moment. When you want to make a shift, you can. Period. And it doesn't have to be perfect. You can start again each day you're alive.
I saw a quote this past week that really hit me. Charlie Brown is sitting on a pier with Snoopy, and he says to him, “We only live once, Snoopy.” Snoopy responds, “WRONG! We only die once. We live every day.” I want to live every day with love, light, clarity and purpose. And I am grateful for every minute of frustration that got me to this feeling of freedom that I currently have.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend and the courage to do whatever you need in order to live your best life, every single day.
Until next week, I love you.
I am 15 years sober from cocaine never was a drinker. I guess it’s because I grew up with a father that was always drunk have not smoked a cigarette since 2015. I never look back and I was so much better for it. Lindsay you’re awesome. Remember that all you need to know,never look back at the past and it always gets easier and easier every day..
Thanks for sharing this! That was very inspiring to read!