Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction, ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step.
Hello, My Friends,
Some weeks fly by and others drag. It’s weird because they both have the same 168 hours, or 10,080 minutes.
What makes the difference?
Could it be the activities we are doing? Could it be how engaged we are in the activities we are doing? Could it be the way we are thinking about the activities? Does it make a difference if you have something planned, versus not having anything in particular organised?
This week I had minor surgery, nothing serious. Just enough to throw the proverbial spanner in the works. I was required to have a few days rest, and take medication regularly. One of my little foibles has been being disciplined in taking meds. I have to say I strongly dislike taking tablets. For my health to return it was required I take nine tablets at various times of the day, some with food and some without.
To create the necessary discipline required, I drew up a table showing the times and which meds I needed to take, when and put it on the fridge in a prominent place where I would see it, and my accountability buddy would also see it.
When you are trying to learn a new behaviour, how do you go about changing the old way of doing things? To change anything in your life, you have to decide it is worth the effort. Actually the very first thing is to know you need to change something. The quote goes, ” You don’t know, what you don’t, know until you do know.” and everything that is created is created twice, once in our mind and twice in our reality. So everything you have and do is a result of something you have thought in the past.
This is such good news, if you created your current results, it implies that you can also create new results.
I decided it was in my best interest to firstly investigate what wasn’t working, In this case my hearing, for months I knew something wasn’t quite right. Once the ball got rolling it took a few more months and a few tests to decipher the problem.
When you are looking to make changes in your life, you need to work out what isn’t working. What is not going the way you want? What is making you feel frustrated, depressed, angry?
Then you get to decide what you want to do about it. Will you complain to your work colleagues, spouse, kids or anyone who will listen? or Will you seek out advice and help from people who can give you helpful information? Once you have this information, you get to choose whether to act on it or not.
Often we don’t act because we are scared of the change that will be created. When the pain of change is less than the pain of staying the same, we change. Will the benefits you receive from changing your point of pain outweigh the cost of staying where you are? There are a few ways to decide this, the one I use most often is the two column, Pros and Cons lists. I write all the things for the change in the Pros list and all the things against the change in the Cons list, then I weigh them up, and make a decision. Once the decision is made the trick is to back yourself and go all in. Give yourself a fighting chance to make it succeed.
Sitting in the specialists office I was faced with a Pros and Cons list, surgery or no surgery. I decided on the surgery option as it gave the greatest benefit to me. Once the decision was made and the time booked and set up. Guess what? All my fears were triggered. What if??? What if I didn’t make it through the anesthetic, What if it didn’t work and I’d be worse off than I am now? What if my family didn’t know how much i loved them? What if my will wasn’t up to date? So many negative emotions and fears. I began the work of sorting out the rational fears from the irrational ones. Now, I know my brain was going into overdrive, it was trying to save me and keep me safe. I began letting my family know how I felt about them, I checked out my will to ensure it was up to date. I created a plan for each of the fears and as the day got closer there was only one left, What if I don’t pull through? Taking my inner self by the hand I soothed myself by choosing to think and trust the surgeon, as the time came I was nervous but in control.
I am telling you this to let you know that when you make a decision to change something in your life, your brain will throw up all kinds of thoughts of why it is unsafe, and impossible, for you to do it. You may be faced with I don’t have the time, I don’t have the money, I can’t do THAT!, maybe your mind will run with what will your friends, and family think, everyone will laugh at you.
The best way I know to get past these objections is to face them, acknowledge that they are there and move forward anyway. Take the step into the new life you want. Create a plan to help your mind and body know what is being expected from it. Be gentle and kind with yourself, should you make mistakes, which are actually stepping stones to success.
My going forward plan was the chart for medication and planning for rest. (Not so easy when you want to do all the things previously planned on the calendar.)
What a difference a week can make? 10,080 hours to create a beautiful and fulfilling dream life.
What will you create this week with your 10,080 hours? Imagine one action you could take everyday this week that would have a noticeable effect on your surroundings. You already know what it is, will you have the courage to take that action and make the impact, let those scary feelings, be scary. A bit like the boogey monster under the bed. His mission was to keep us in our beds, now as adults we know he is not real. Most of the scary feelings we have are self created by our brain in our younger days to keep us safe, and now as adults we can challenge them to see where the validity lies, and change the story that surrounds them.
If you want guidance on facing your fears and creating the future you’ve always wanted but were to scared to go after, email me on authenticlivingwithlinda@gmail.com to organise a coaching session, together we can bring to life the dreams, that have lain dormant.
Have a great week, Challenge the boogy monster in your closet, and live your most authentic life.
Linda Codlin.
Email: authenticlivingwithlinda@gmail.com