Getting started. Pure uncertainty. The risk of getting it wrong. That feeling in the pit of our stomach. The willingness to say, “here goes nothing.” Putting ourselves out there. It.is.ALOT. And overwhelm can paralyze us. I know I’ve been there. Just FROZEN. The indecision and inability to have a crystal ball, but how do we start when we aren’t sure where we are going? That’s the question in this week’s blog from Mindrise Coach, Danielle Ford. “The truth is, no matter how detailed our lives are planned out, there’s bound to be a curve ball thrown our way.”
How do I start, when I’m not sure where I’m going?
by Mindrise Coach, Danielle Ford
This question has crossed my mind (and in some cases tormented me) a few times in my life, most often when staring at a fork in the road. Last month, my blog encouraged just starting – just doing the thing we’ve been thinking about for a while – taking the leap, making the change and going for it… and for me it’s both as simple and as complicated as that.
As a Type A organizer and planner extraordinaire, not knowing what my path looked like often stopped me dead in my tracks. Rather than taking a step forward, I would make pros & cons lists, contemplate, think some more, and jump to each side of the fence until I wound up in a never ending brain swirl. What I didn’t realize at the time was that by doing this and ultimately doing nothing – I was actively making a choice and maybe one that wasn’t what was best for me. While sometimes doing nothing is exactly what we need, in the times that we’re acting against our intuition and not trusting our inner pilot light, it’s precisely what we need to avoid.
So how do I start, when I’m lost in thought about what the future looks like?! Truthfully – I stop thinking, I slow down, I quiet down and I trust my intuition. When we stop the swirl in the middle of the spin cycle and start asking ourselves to trust that what’s meant for us will work out, our stress starts to dissipate. Especially since stress & anxiety usually stem from a combination of our expectations on how things will work out and not trusting that everything will work out exactly the way it’s meant to. When we fight what is, we’re ignoring the lessons that life is trying so hard to teach us.
The truth is, no matter how detailed our lives are planned out, there’s bound to be a curve ball thrown our way. Sometimes we lose the dream job, the love of our lives walks out unexpectedly, we get injured, we lose someone we love… the list goes on. But when we begin to evolve from the victim mentality to seeing times of change as a learning opportunity, and eventually finding gratitude for them as a catalyst for opening us to something more in our lives is quite extraordinary. It may feel awkward or uncomfortable taking that first step outside your comfort zone but take it anyway. The people in your life may not understand or agree – but what matters most is that you’re following your heart, your intuition – that voice in you that knows you are doing exactly what’s right for you.
Aspiring to evolve and become who we’re meant to be is an incredibly beautiful thing. The shift that takes place when we begin to trust the journey, accept ourselves where we are and love each & every part of our lives (including the moments of suffering) is truly transcendent.
