Every day, we take steps, one after the other, that’s how we move forward, that’s how we go through life. Be conscious of the path you create, as it is …. YOUR LIFE you are creating.
Every day, we wake up and there is a whole new day available. It’s like a blank canvas, YOU get to paint the picture. I know, I hear you, we all have obligations, we all have a (too)full agenda, but there is always room to choose how we will go through the day. In fact, we also get to choose what we fill our agenda with. Yes, we do. We can first choose to make it less full, as empty spaces give us time to breathe, to (re)focus, to take a step back and then we can choose to gradually fill it with different stuff, with things we want to fill our lives with.
But first we need to evaluate our agenda, our life. Knowing what we are doing right now, will give us the knowledge, the power, the input we need, to know what we want to change in our lives.
When we take a step back, breathe, take the time to observe, our mind becomes quiet enough so that we can feel if this is the path we want to walk or not. Sometimes it’s a Hell Yeah! And that is great! Keep going, you found your path!
But often we feel there is room for improvement and we need to make adjustments: sometimes little ones and sometimes big ones. Listen to your intuition and start making changes. You know you want to make some changes, you know why you want them to happen but it’s the how that is not clear yet.
Don’t wait for the ideal path to happen but make it happen yourself!
Here is where it gets uncomfortable: walking new territory, creating new paths, … but do start! One step at a time. Don’t let the ‘not knowing how it will end’ keep you from beginning today. I know, the uncertainty makes you feel vulnerable, makes you feel as if you are stepping into an open space without any guidelines or directions. But embrace this feeling. Take one step, and then stop for a moment, so that you can feel the land of opportunities. The lack of guidelines, of clear steps, of knowing exactly what to do, creates space! In that space your creativity will kick in. You already know you want to make changes and you know why you want it. So far, it was the uncertainty, the not knowing how, that held you back. Now you have created space, you opened up, you allow yourself to create a new path. That’s a very important first step!
Allow yourself to be a beginner, to not know exactly how to get to the end. No one knows, everyone is a beginner at first, we just have to keep in mind that we want to be on this new path. Do the best you can for now and you’ll notice that by taking baby steps forward, you’ll become better at it, you’ll become wiser, and as you feel you’re on the right track, you also feel when you have to make adjustments. The most important thing is to keep moving, to keep the momentum going. Don’t just be interested in making changes, be committed!
When you are committed, you’ll continue to take little steps every day.
In moving forward every day with those manageable steps, you’ll be able to sidestep the biggest barrier to change: FEAR!
I believe we now have defined THE biggest reason for not making changes in life, for staying where we are, for waiting instead of walking.
FEAR.
Fear that we will not be able to realize our dreams.
Fear that we do not have what it takes to make the change we so much desire.
Fear that we will not find people to support us on our new journey.
Fear that we will lose what we have right now (isn’t that the whole point: lose what is draining you to make space for what gives you energy?
Fear!
That is what is keeping us from changing.
That’s why the way to make change happen, is to take turtles steps: one by one, slowly but steady. You’ll get wiser by every step you take. Every result teaches you something, either: ‘it was the right thing to do’ or ‘this is something to not do anymore’. And as you are taking tiny steps, it’s always very easy to make adjustments.
Always take the time to evaluate:
Does this feel good?
Is this bringing me closer to how I want to live my life?
Don’t get too attached to how exactly your end result must look like, just keep going in the direction of ‘how you want to feel’ in life. Sometimes you think a certain result is what you’re aiming for and then you have a ‘set-back’ and you need to make some changes. When you learn to see those ‘set-backs’ as something you needed to experience, as something you needed to know, in order to find your right path, you won’t be afraid of them anymore. You’ll know it’s just the Universe helping you, guiding you towards your real journey. It is absolutely helpful when you accept the fact that life is not a straight path from A to B, that you need to take side paths to find your way to your true path and that every ‘misfortune’ has a message for you. Take the time to step back and evaluate what those messages are.
My invitation to you all this week is:
Find a quiet moment.
Breathe.
Meditate, visualize what you dream of achieving in life.
Look at what you are doing in your life right now.
Write down what needs to change.
Know that fear will be your companion.
Embrace the uncertainty.
Cherish the space it creates.
Take a first tiny step.
Feel how this already changes you.
Note what it already taught you.
Take a second step.
Move forward, every day.
Remember your ‘why’*: make a picture, a mood board, write down a quote, … anything that you can turn to, when fear is overwhelming you or when your courage is temporarily diminishing.
Know that change ALWAYS feels uncomfortable as our subconscious mind is not familiar with these new situations yet. Once you repeat those new situations, it’ll become a habit, it’ll become a new file in your ‘subconscious cabinet’ and it will become comfortable and easy**.
As I said: don’t hold on too closely to how the end result must look like. Let yourself be guided by the Universe***, just keep taking steps and feel the result. Sometimes you end up exactly how you envisioned it and sometimes you end up where you never, ever, thought of arriving.
Life is a journey, happiness is the way****, enjoy every step of the way!!!!
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Katrien
*’Say NO to New Year’s Resolutions’, Medium article by Katrien Degraeve.
**’The Trouble is, it’s All Up to You, The Good Thing Is: it’s All Up to You’, Medium Article by Katrien Degraeve.
***’The Universe Has Your Back’, by Gabrielle Bernstein.
****’Happiness Is the Way’, by dr. Wayne W. Dyer.