Daphne @ Joyful Days had the winning comment for last weeks Magic Monday and is the winner of Jonathan Mead’s book!
“Nothing changes until something changes.”– Earnie Larson
I believe everyone has an area in their life they need to change. If we didn’t we’d be perfect or have a perfect life. I don’t know anyone like that. Do you?
What is it you need to change but fear doing so? Do you live in an unhappy relationship yet fear reaching out for help? Do you need to save more yet continue spending to avoid looking within?
Are you reluctant to tell your teenager or two year old “no” because of you fear they will hate you?
You’ve probably already know what you’ve been refusing to look at or change. Today I want to encourage you to look within, make some bold decisions and take the action needed. Only then will you be able to get out of your rut. Doing so will put you on the path that leads to happiness.
I get bored with ruts. I get anxious and begin to feel like I’m missing out. I also get anxious about making needed changes as well.
I’ve discovered methods to turn my fear and anxiety into excitement through out change. When we sold our home in Michigan to move to Arizona we went down on our price twice. It made me crazy. Yet my gut said get out now or be left behind.
In order to turn my anxiety into excitement I began flipping through magazines choosing colors for paint, pillows and furniture.
I turned my anxiety into my vision of what my new friends, home and garden would look like.
Change can be exciting if you allow it to be. If you need to lose weight dream about the things you’ll do with your new body. Get a new bicycle, roller blades or running shoes. Put them to good use instead of feeling cheated and deprived.
Instead of focusing on any discomfort focus on the results you want and will soon see.
There is no way of avoiding fear when you make changes. We feel uncomfortable because we are taken out of our comfort zone. We fear the unknown. It’s human nature. Change requires that you stretch yourself.
A favorite quote is, “Leap and the net will appear.” Yet we want just the opposite. We want to see the net and then we’ll leap. Change requires faith and trust.
If you believe in yourself and trust others it’s easy to take the first step. Once you do others will appear on your path to help and show you the way. Your Higher Power and the laws of the universe will move into full swing and provide you what you need.
When I reflect on some of the major changes I’ve made in my life they were always proceeded with fear and anxiety yet I took the leap anyway.
We all have examples of fear and changing inspite of our fear. Some of mine are:
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When I was 17 and pregnant I married my boyfriend. I was a kid but determined to finish high school and be a good wife and mother. I did and I was.
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When we found our relationship was in trouble we found the courage to seek counseling. We’ve been married 37 + years.
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I knew we didn’t have the parenting skills needed to do a good job. We attended workshops and took parenting classes, listened to tapes and got more therapy.
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I was afraid I wasn’t smart enough to attend college. I went back part-time while raising my children and graduated nine and a half years later.
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I immediately went to grad school for a degree in counseling psychology but was afraid I couldn’t do the writing required. I found the tutoring center.
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We were required to diagnose clients for the insurance companies. I feared making mistakes. I sought a mentor who helped me.
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I feared my children would make the same mistakes I did in life. I discovered they had a right to their own mistakes and lessons. I gave up control and allowed them to grow wings.
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When I wanted to write a book I feared I wouldn’t find a publisher. I self-published.
No matter what, we need to keep growing and going forward. We all have struggles. Failure isn’t making the wrong choice. Failure is making no choice at all.
I encourage you to reflect on your life and think of the times you “walked through fire.” Give yourself credit. Draw from the strengths of your past.
Remember the times you thought you’d fail and never did. Go back as far as learning how to ride a bike at five years old. Refuse to leave any change uncounted. Discover your diamonds in the rough. Use them to leap forward.
A personal change I’m currently working on today is causing me fear yet I have more fear not making the change.
Ask yourself 3 questions concerning something you need to change:
What is the best outcome that can happen?
What is the worst outcome that can possibly happen?
What is the result of remaining the same?
Go for it. Just do it. Leap and the net will appear. Have faith, trust and ask for help. I’ll see you on the other side.
Leave a comment:
What milestones can you give yourself credit for and use to propel yourself forward?
What was the bravest thing you ever did?
Hi Tess,
I LOVE this post! Leap and the net will appear – this is great, and fits so well.
At the beginning of this year, I chose a word that I would focus on for the year. My word: courage. And it’s been amazing how this has come up on my life, in just the last three months. And specifically, in the last couple of weeks. So, I’m going to go with the bravest thing I’ve done this year: and that was a very personal speech I did in front of about 100 people. It was taking me way outside of my comfort zone – and specifically because I was getting up in front of all these people and talking about fears – and in this case – my fears – and how they were holding me back – until started to believe in myself. Admitting all of this in front of so many people was extremely difficult for me – yet, it turned out so wonderfully. I did jump and the net did appear! And that gives me strength going forward – I have this to look back on – and know that I CAN do whatever I’m trying. Will it always work? Probably not, but that’s okay. It’s better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.
Another thing I’ve done in the past – that has helped me in this getting out of your comfort zone idea – was skydiving. While this was only a one time thing, taking that step out of the airplane was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Jump and , in this case, the parachute will open. And once I took that step, what an exhilarating ride!
….much like life – if we jump – it we take those chances – if we really believe in ourselves – then our life can be an exhilarating ride!
Tess, thank you for this today!
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