When I reflect on the past ten years, I don’t feel as hopeful as I did then, and maybe that will change as I continue to heal and grow. I do feel as passionate-when the bird song is loud and beautiful, when the sun shines brightly, when the colours are vivid- I am filled with love, enthusiasm and energy, and all feels right with the world. I am energized walking along the ocean in a wind storm or engaged in a deep conversation or simply enjoying the moment- a rock, a feather, the fog- whatever is in front of me. When my voice joins others in song, when I am dancing I am passionate. On those days I know I am on the right track, exactly where I need to be and that everything is unfolding as it should. Life is good and I feel so blessed to be alive and living where I am.
This journey into loving ourselves and life once again is filled with fun, passion, joy, loneliness, despair, worry, ecstasy- the full spectrum of emotions. One day all is well, the next I am worried about the future or turning 60 or whatever. What changed? Usually it’s my thinking- I get off track in doing what I need to do to stay healthy, such as not speaking my truth or standing up for what I believe in, or not listening to my body or intuition. So I do something to change my mood- like go to the gym or call a girlfriend. And if I just do the surface work- I get a bit of relief but then go back to where I was- in that dull place. Things change for the better when I decide to make a deeper change- when I really take a look at what is not working for me and then decide what I can do to improve it and take one step in that direction.
When I make the decision to change something, everything starts falling back into place again. When I am clear on what that decision is, I then identify and take one step in that direction. I am reminded of Martin Luther King’s statement “take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”. I do need to be clear on the decision- when I am wishy-washy, I get wishy-washy results (for years I had such a tough time making decisions because I was worried I would make the wrong one. Then I gave myself permission to make mistakes- if I made the decision and started taking some steps in that direction I would find out soon enough if it was the right direction- and I could always course correct if it wasn’t).
What happens when we are clear on what we want is we give our brain permission to see the opportunities and possibilities around us. All of those possibilities are there even when we don’t see them- they simply are not on our radar, as our Reticular Activating System (RAS) isn’t programmed to let them in. Our mind can only take in a small portion of what is going on around us- so when we decide what we want, our RAS radar allows everything that has to do with that decision into our awareness. (That is the beauty of setting goals- our subconscious then starts working on our behalf and we start seeing the possibilities). In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen”. People, places or things fall in to place to help us on our journey. Is there a decision you need to make in order for the Universe to conspire with you to make it happen? What is that one decision that could set your life in a more positive direction? If you would like some help with this, feel free to call or email me- I would love to help you take that first step in faith!