One step is all it takes
Image from Unsplash by Carli Jeen @carlijeen
My sister has recently gone through some pretty big changes - leaving her job, moving countries and losing Dad all within weeks of each other. I was curious how she has managed her journey without being thrown into constant overwhelm. So yesterday I asked her what has been her biggest lesson from going through so much change.
Her answer was quite simple yet profound...
“keep taking one step forward,” she said. “Let go of needing to control the journey or trying to do it perfectly.”
I love this simple truth.
Taking one step at a time keeps us moving in the direction we want.
These steps don’t need to be complex or require a huge amount of effort or time. Just by choosing the new, again and again will help shift you and bring you what you want quicker than focusing on what you don’t want or don’t like.
It’s not about ignoring the discomfort we feel or judging it as wrong but allowing and accepting it as a natural part of the journey. The trick is to not hook into its story - the story that wants to grab our attention - keep us focused on our fears, the uncertainty, or in a constant loop on what could go wrong. Instead just see it for what it is - old habits and beliefs we use run to keep us safe. Choose not to fuel it. Then choose to spend your time and energy on what you want to create instead.
You see we live according to our choice points. Choosing to put yourself first in your decisions, choosing to not believe your inner critic or self-doubt, choosing to trust the process even without the “hard evidence it is working” that our mind needs for reassurance or choosing to accept that change can bring fears and discomfort and that is okay. These choices mean an easier and graceful experience for navigating change. These choices mean freedom.
So, what changes are you facing?
And what simple small step can you make in how you choose to see it differently?
As Wayne Dwyer so eloquently puts it, “When you begin to shift your perspective, the very things around you that seem to be so stressful tend to look a little brighter.”
“When things change inside you, things change around you.” Anonymous
Is there something in your world that can become brighter and easier for you?
For me, I am choosing to stop judging my perceived “progress”. I am learning how to become more patient and compassionate with myself. I am choosing to be slow, enjoy quiet time, to write and reflect on my journey. To really see and acknowledge the transformations that have taken place and the gifts I have discovered along the way.
Here’s hoping you discover and appreciate all the wonderful gifts you share with yourself and others.
I wish you all much love and ease with whatever changes you are facing.
