I’ve just returned from Florida where I attended an a-maz-ing Mindset Retreat. I met so many people who are on the path of self-discovery to create a shift in themselves and allow their best selves to come forward.
For me this journey of greater self-discovery has come with resistance alternating with a deep and willing openness. From the first moment I knew I wanted to attend the event, my mind started its battle. A battle to keep things as they are, to stay the same, to remain with the life that is known. Have you ever felt that? When you know you want something more for yourself, but you just keep getting in your own way. It’s insanely frustrating.
The key is to understand what it is, despite what it may try to make you believe it really is. It is simply fear. It is the mind’s way of keeping you safe, even if it means living an unfulfilled life because it is a known life. Because even though the life you have may not be the life you want, you know how to manage it. You know what to expect and how to handle all the details in your life, even if you don’t like them. Anytime you act in a manner that will challenge the status quo, the primitive part of your mind goes into overdrive. It literally works overtime to make sure you stay inside of your comfort zone, fearing its own death. Yet only way to claim something different for yourself is to step outside of your ‘norm’ and do the thing that causes the fear and the resistance. It’s easier said than done, but very necessary.
When you allow yourself to watch the fears ebb and flow from your mind just like the ocean waves, you reclaim your power. You give yourself permission to pay attention to the thoughts that are coming into your awareness and then choose whether they are helpful and justified or if they are irrational and fear-based. It also helps to remember that if the waves of fear begin to crash upon you, it’s ok to take a few steps back and start again. You don’t always have to do the whole thing all at once. Sometimes the smallest step toward your goal will get you the biggest reward. Be gentle with yourself, but challenge yourself to keep striving toward your greater purpose. In the end, you will accomplish your goal if you keep pursuing it.
I saw this video at the retreat a few days ago and it moved me deeply. It speaks to the fear and anxiety we all have when we face something new. You will feel it within yourself as you experience this little girl overcome her fears and speed toward pure joy and excitement. I invite you to use this as inspiration to look within yourself and do the thing that you are uncertain about. The jubilation you will find after you summon your courage and conquer your resistance and fears will be well worth it.
Wishing you all the best,
Krysti
