Have you been feeling stuck, thinking that change just isn’t possible, no matter what you do?
Take a moment. Do any of these sound familiar to you?
“Things are just the way that they are.”
“This is the right way and that is wrong.”
“A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”
“Once we reach a certain age our personality is set.”
They all suggest that we are stuck with ourselves the way we are.
What do you think? Is it possible to really, deeply, truly change?
We all have beliefs and assumptions that frame and form our actions and choices. Most of them remain hidden behind our automatic responses in daily situations. So this foundational structure is rarely examined and seldom questioned.
Growth? Change!
Yet since you are able to grow, then you are able to change. Who you are today is not who you were yesterday.
Think about it. Change is constantly taking place in the macrocosm. Nature shows you that as you watch the weather variations each day and in the changing of the seasons.
How would it not be the same in the microcosm then, within you? Life remains static only when you are holding on.
What is possible?
Why not experiment with something new? Become the inquisitive researcher. As you try out a new experience or behavior, notice how your awareness expands. You may be thinking that you do not change, but moment to moment, there are new possibilities.
Awareness is key.When you are present in the moment at hand, you start to align with a feeling of freshness. Old patterns no longer have a hold, so they drop away, having completed. When you pause and realize that you are responding to a situation differently from how you previously reacted, you can then acknowledge the change.
The step of acknowledgment is so important! That’s how change gets anchored into your awareness and in your body.
Change takes time to integrate into your system. Part of that process is recognizing what is different. As old patterns dissolve, you will find new ways to respond to life.
It all begins with an understanding that change is possible and that it is natural.
Oh yes.
Time to Reflect
Take a breath. Release it. Take another. Devote some dedicated time of concentration/meditation. It doesn’t need to be hours of quiet, perhaps only 15 minutes. Then allow the question to simmer within you through the weekend. Let responses bubble up into your awareness. Notice new ways of thinking, of images or ideas that arise spontaneously. Pay attention to your dreams. Let it happen. Be aware. See where it leads you next. Let yourself savor this process of receiving from yourself. Don’t judge whatever comes up, just receive it. Make notes.
You may want to share something from this process. Sharing is an important way to anchor an insight in your body. It often leads you to deeper insight. It stimulates action.
Feel free to use this arena to share what moves you!
4 Responses
I look forward to reading and sharing this newsletter every Friday! It is inspiring and thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing your journeys.
Lynell,
I appreciate your feedback–it’s always good to know when our words connect! Thanks for joining a piece of your journey with us.
Laurie
Awareness and being in the moment are two of the important items that I need to work upon that are mentioned in this article. It is opening one’s eyes, literally and figuratively. Be aware, be conscious and be joyous.
Be aware and be conscious…then joy can flow. Thanks Roy!