Guys, I’m not sure if you know this already but change is really hard. I’m sure we’ve discussed before but it’s something that keeps coming up and for me, bears repeating - many times. I need to constantly be reminded of this in order to continue in a new direction.
We all have the ability to change. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how trapped you feel, how comfortable you’ve become - it is possible. The only thing preventing you from changing, is YOU.
It seems we all grow up with a particular idea of who we are, what we’re ‘supposed’ to be, what we think we ‘should’ believe in, etc. The thing is, these are just ideas we give ourselves. We base them on what we hear others say to or about us, things we see around us, and many times from those closest to us. We inherit them as fact, never really question, and take them on as part of our identity.
We give ourselves these narratives and allow them to define who we are. They become such a part of our being that we just accept them. Even when we try to make a change or experience a positive shift in the desired direction, we can talk ourselves out of that potential success by reminding ourselves ‘that’s not who I am’ and talk ourselves right back into our comfort zone.
For real change to happen, you need to be uncomfortable. You really have to work on the way you view yourself and your ability to think outside the box you’ve put yourself in. Because after all, you built that box. You decided who you wanted to be - probably without even realizing it- and you can’t be anything new until you allow yourself give up the ‘old’.
The thing is, change isn’t just hard, it also takes time. We live in a world where pretty much everything is instant. So when we decide to make some sort of change in our lives and it doesn’t happen quickly, we get discouraged. A lot of times that’s when we give up.
So you can’t control the time it takes but you can control the direction you’re going. You can use that time to your advantage and continue to press on or allow your inner voice to talk you right back into your comfort zone. The thing is, your comfort zone is where dreams go to die. Being comfortable and content is easy and well, comfortable, but is it really where you want to be?
I was essentially a champion in talking myself out of things. There have been many times where I let the amount of time something was taking be the excuse for me to just stop. So many ideas and potential successes wasted because I used that time where momentum could be building to convince myself I was on the wrong path.
So I get it, I know from experience. It’s not easy BUT IT IS POSSIBLE. Whatever it is you’re looking to change - something within yourself, the way you interact with others, your career path, YOU CAN DO IT. You only need to believe you can and push yourself in the right direction. It might feel like it’s taking forever, but it’s happening. As long as you keep yourself focused on where you want to be YOU WILL GET THERE. Put your trust in yourself and celebrate the small victories along the way.
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