My decision to move from an Ottawa-based clinic to my Brockville-based office created some real chaos within me. First of all, I loved my Ottawa office – the clinic has been a great place to work. Those of you that have worked with me there know how beautiful it is – it has wonderful light and a really lovely energy. The clinicians have an amazing energy that is very calming to those who come there. I also love Ottawa – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
Perhaps you can relate to the push and pull that happens when you’re about to embark on a new venture. You know you want it – in fact you have probably envisioned it repeatedly in your mind – what it will be and at the same time something tugs at you… Did I do the right thing? Is this going to be OK? Was I silly to make this decision? What if I was wrong? In some cases, a lot of fear starts to come up and we may start to dread the decision we made and really become afraid of it. If your mind is particularly creative, it can come up with all sorts of scary scenarios to dissuade you from your new path.
You need to know that these thoughts are perfectly natural. They always accompany change because the mind is first and foremost geared to keep us alive. Our survival instinct is paramount and the inner voice that questions your decision is just the survival instinct that is conditioned to keep us SAFE. Change is unpredictable – the mind tries to keep us in the “known” because it has already anticipated threats to its survival and knows how to keep you safe.
Don’t listen – understand what these voices are. Love them and let them go!
The other voices that often chime in when we’re feeling afraid or doubtful are all the negative stuff we believe about ourselves deep down. These things have a different root – they come from our experiences in life that have taught us negative things about ourselves. When you go to start something new, they may remind you that you’re not worth it, that you’re a loser, that you’re stupid and you’ll never succeed. Perhaps they will remind you that you will never amount to anything or no one could ever love you so why bother trying.
This is harder to tune out because this is YOUR voice. What you need to know is that these voices are echoes of how you have felt in the past – they are NOT real. They are only real if you listen to them – so don’t listen and do NOT give them your power.
Rather than listening to either survival or your past, use your imagination to occupy your mind with where you are going. The key here – whatever you focus upon WILL become your reality.
In my case, I tuned into my new office. I imagined sitting at my desk, looking out over the Brockville waterfront, watching the ships pass by Blockhouse Island on their journey up or down the River. I imagined a cup on my new desk that runs over with abundance – the abundance that is connected to my new space as well as all the new possibilities for my business. I imagined talking to my clients online or face-to-face. I imagined conversations with individuals I share the office with and imagined the growth of a solid, respectful and supportive connection with all of them. I felt my own happiness filling up the office and the energy of my mind flowing out into the world. It’s all quite PERFECT. And those are exactly the words I saw posted on the door to my office…. PERFECT!
Change is whatever you decide it is going to be. Don’t let your mind run it. Learn to BE the creator that you are and take charge of whatever change is on the horizon. Use your imagination because it is YOUR creative tool in life.
And if you get stuck in any way or need help, let me know. I’m here.
Tell me, how do you overcome fear when you need to make a change in you life?
I realized some time ago that many of my decisions were made with fear in my sub conscious mind. I decided to become conscious of my fears and start to face them, bravely. I needed to be reminded because fear can be a powerful, negative and limiting feeling. I heard a quote once and decided to have it inked on my foot. It reads “it’s not brave if your not scared”. From that day forward I decided to consciously be brave when faced with any fear that I faced. If I couldn’t do it with my own thoughts, the words on my foot reminded me of what I wanted to be..BRAVE. I overcome my fears by having a conversation with myself that sounds a little like this…”What is the worst that could happen?”. How could I handle that?”. What could be the positive outcomes? How could I make those happen? I try to focus on what I want to happen, rather than what I don’t! It’s like when we tell ourselves..”don’t fall, don’t fall..” what happens? We fall! when we reaffirm ourselves with “I can do this. Im going to make it.” ..we end up making it!
Really, really cool thoughts Cadmiel. Thanks for sharing, that’s great advice