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I’ve been watching Holmes Family Rescue, and there’s one thread that runs through every episode: powerlessness. The families Mike Holmes helps aren’t just dealing with bad contractors or broken homes—they’re dealing with the crushing feeling of having no control. They trusted someone, did what they were “supposed” to do, and still ended up stuck, overwhelmed, and taken advantage of.
That feeling hits me harder than the construction disasters themselves as powerlessness is a uniquely painful emotion. It’s not just frustration or disappointment—it’s the sense that no matter what you do, it won’t matter. You can’t fix it. You can’t force change. You’re at the mercy of circumstances, people, or systems that don’t seem to care.
Watching these families makes me sad because I can relate. Maybe not with contractors and houses, but in other areas of life. And I think most people can. At some point, everyone faces situations where control slips away—relationships, health, work, finances, or simply the direction life takes despite our best efforts.
I don’t believe there’s a greater feeling of despair than believing you are powerless to correct or even meaningfully respond to what’s happening to you. It can shrink your confidence, distort your thinking, and quietly convince you that hope is pointless.
And yet, shows like Holmes Family Rescue also remind me of something else: powerlessness often isn’t permanent, even when it feels absolute. Sometimes it takes help. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it just takes one small moment where control begins to return.
Acknowledging that feeling—naming it, sitting with it—doesn’t make us weak. It makes us honest. And maybe honesty is the first step back toward finding our footing again.
This post has nothing to do with the situations I'm currently working through in life, marriage and work, it's something I think about often and finally had a few minutes to type something out.
Proofreading provided by ChatGPT.
That feeling hits me harder than the construction disasters themselves as powerlessness is a uniquely painful emotion. It’s not just frustration or disappointment—it’s the sense that no matter what you do, it won’t matter. You can’t fix it. You can’t force change. You’re at the mercy of circumstances, people, or systems that don’t seem to care.
Watching these families makes me sad because I can relate. Maybe not with contractors and houses, but in other areas of life. And I think most people can. At some point, everyone faces situations where control slips away—relationships, health, work, finances, or simply the direction life takes despite our best efforts.
I don’t believe there’s a greater feeling of despair than believing you are powerless to correct or even meaningfully respond to what’s happening to you. It can shrink your confidence, distort your thinking, and quietly convince you that hope is pointless.
And yet, shows like Holmes Family Rescue also remind me of something else: powerlessness often isn’t permanent, even when it feels absolute. Sometimes it takes help. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it just takes one small moment where control begins to return.
Acknowledging that feeling—naming it, sitting with it—doesn’t make us weak. It makes us honest. And maybe honesty is the first step back toward finding our footing again.
This post has nothing to do with the situations I'm currently working through in life, marriage and work, it's something I think about often and finally had a few minutes to type something out.
Proofreading provided by ChatGPT.