Beyond the Closed Door

We’ve all heard the famous quote: “When one door closes, another opens”. Yet, the exact moment that door slams shut can feel unbearable, even unacceptable. It's as though time freezes, and you’re left staring at the locked door, struggling to imagine what might lie ahead.

Experts and self-help gurus have written countless articles urging us to “look to the horizon” or focus on the brighter future. But when your heart is in pain, when rejection or loss grips you, it’s hard enough to care what’s for dinner tonight, let alone envision the possibilities of tomorrow. The truth is, pain has a way of narrowing our world, dimming the distant light of hope.

The Fallacy of Living Up

Society often hands us an ever-growing checklist of “successes” to achieve. Yet, whether you’re the young billionaire startup founder or the influencer with millions of followers, no one has truly ticked every box. The list is endless, a mirage that pulls us further from what truly matters. So why do we continue striving to “live up” to these expectations instead of “living down” to a place of inner peace?

Life isn’t meant to be measured only by its bright moments. The dark, difficult days are just as valuable—if not more so. They teach us lessons, reshape our perspectives, and force us to grow. We remember the sunny days, but it’s the storms that leave their mark, showing us what we’re made of.

A Closed Door is a Closed Door

Rejection, denial, grief, and loss: they’re not just setbacks. They’re opportunities—albeit painful ones—to re-evaluate and reassess your priorities. When you stop running from these emotions and start acknowledging them, they give you the clarity to see what truly matters. Wrong choices remain wrong only if you let them; the moment you decide to fix them, they become stepping stones to growth.

It’s important to look forward to better days, of course. Hope is what keeps us going. But don’t shy away from the not-so-bright days either. They’re the ones that forge you. They’re the ones that remind you that life is as much about enduring as it is about achieving.

Baby steps, tiger!

Take life one day at a time. 

Take as much time as you want to look at that door. Grieve, reflect, scream at that stupid door if you must. Then when the time is ripe, Kamejoko open that damn door and take the first step outside.

Chances are, the universe might trick you with another bad door, it has a funny way of testing us, of sending us through wrong turns and dead ends. But that doesn’t matter, because with every door you pass through—good or bad—you’re taking your own pace toward success, unafraid of making mistakes.

The Road Ahead

Last weekend, I found myself drowning in another wave of negativity. The kind that wraps around you like a fog, making even the simplest tasks feel monumental. Writing this note is as much a message to myself as it is to anyone out there who might need it.

Let’s take baby steps on this journey, together. There’s no rush, no race, no perfect pace. Just one step at a time. And before you know it, you’ll realize the closed doors were just part of a larger, more meaningful path.

Take your time. You’ll find your way.