As the year comes to a close, it’s a nice time to reflect on what we accomplished this year, what failed, and how we can move into the New Year with a plan, a defined focus and ways to embrace change.
It’s good to acknowledge our failures and successes, but not good to dwell on them and use them as excuses as why we can’t achieve or change things this year. To grow, to find happiness, or to find love, we need to take action and put ourselves in the best place possible for success in whatever we are trying to achieve.
We have to experience life, and in the experiencing there will be discomfort and pain. We have to shift our thinking about the pain and realize it is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to change, and to find something deeper within ourselves. We need to experience the pain, but not allow it to become our identity and become a victim of the pain.
Change is necessary for growth, but it also frightening, and we can stay stuck for years if we don’t allow ourselves the gift of asking ourselves some hard questions. Here are ways to embrace change”
What do you want? This may seem like a simple question, but it can be the most difficult to answer. I’ve never been big on vision boards, but at the urging of my dear friend, we made vision boards. It was almost mid-year when we made them, but we still made them. Better late than never! I felt like what I had on my board was only a dream, but I went with my heart and with what I truly felt I wanted in my life. As I look at my vision board now, everything on my board has been fulfilled. Just 6-7 months ago I felt what I was wanting was so completely out of reach, but I accomplished what I wanted, even if I didn’t quite believe in myself at the time. The power of seeing visually what you want is very powerful. See what you want in order to bring your dreams into fruition.
Try something a little scary. Is there something that you are wanting but feels so out there and unattainable, you keep pushing it away? Don’t push it aside anymore. If you are going to accomplish what you want, you have to be willing to take that risk. We all have the inner survival instinct that keeps us safe as if a tiger was chasing us. But since I doubt a tiger is chasing you, turn that inner survival voice off for a moment and see what’s calling you to try, be, and do.
Take time to listen to yourself. Find a few moments of silence, and listen. Listen to what your heart is telling you. Don’t listen to the skeptic that we have inside us, but to what direction your heart is moving you. Is it moving you towards something that feels unknown and scary? That’s okay.
Know that not everyone will agree with your choices. This is a big one for me. I’m a people pleaser in all aspects of my life, so if someone doesn’t agree with me, I immediately question my choices. Know that it’s okay to shake things up a bit. Trust yourself and your choices and know that it’s okay to follow your heart even if those around you question your choices. Sometimes those closest to you want to keep you where it’s comfortable for them; it’s not about you. So start making the choices you need for you. Choose your path and dance; even if others can’t hear the music.
Change is inevitable. It will happen no matter how much of a fight you put up. As much as we want to be able to control things, people, and our surroundings, change is inescapable. Everything is moving and shifting all around us; why would we want to stay stuck in one place?
To grow, we must start with realizing that no matter what we do or say, change will happen. Embrace it. Welcome it in. My yoga nidra teacher Richard Miller would say, “Invite it in for tea and ask what it wants of you.”
Learn to embrace your life and all the challenges and ways to embrace change. Be thankful for your past and all the wisdom it has brought you; the lessons learned. It’s time to pull out the blank vision board and imagine what you want for your life. Put it out there, and see what you get in return.
With Gratitude,
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