When I lived in my two bedroom apartment with my parents in New York, I remember that there was this long hallway we would need to go through in order to make it to the one bathroom there. This hallway seemed never ending and held so many unknowns for a small child, especially at night and in the dark. As a little girl, I would imagine that at any moment, some monster was going to get me and there was nothing I could do about it.
Now as an adult, I realized that it’s just as easy to feel that same fear with the decisions that we make every day. We often remain paralyzed when facing time for change, when we have to get out of our comfort zone, when, in essence, we have to walk in the dark. Stress ensues, where we second guess our own ideas, worry about outcomes, and mainly become obsessed about how those changes will affect what people think about us. All these prevent us from moving forward and add our cycle of fear and feeling ineffective.
Everyone has some form of inner strength! We often don’t take the time to recognize how even the smallest of tasks are demonstrations of our capacity for better things. Did you lift yourself out of bed this morning? Did you shower and change your clothes? Did you communicate with at least one person today? Our action, even the smallest in size, make a way for us to know that we are capable and alive. And so then what about change?
The fact that we can take these small steps everyday and get up and face the world proves we are able to take also begin what is needed to begin making changes. You don’t like your job? You don’t want to be in that relationship? Your business not meeting your expectations? Are you unsatisfied with the interactions with family members or friends? All of these issues plague so many all of the time, but they don’t have to. The inner strength you need has always been there; its up to you to walk in that dark hallway and know that regardless of the outcome, standing and doing nothing is not an option at all. Taking the steps towards change, as minimal as they might appear, are the tiny lights we need to see us through.
Until next time…