What's Next?

2012 has been a year of transition and many of us are undergoing shifts and changes. Change can create uncertainty and confusion. We know we don’t want to be where we are now but what next and how to get there?

All change eventually leads to the greater good but it is within the process, the shifting, morphing and the mystery of the unknown, where the challenges lie and where our ability to be comfortable with uncertainty, becomes one of our greatest tools.

We have finally arrived to the place where we are deeply questioning who we are, what we want to do with our lives and what our greater purpose is. We are no longer willing to settle for a job that pays well, for a relationship that is safe, for a life unfulfilled. People more and more are asking themselves, “What makes me happy?”

What if our work was our passion, our relationship our greatest love story and our life one of happiness and contentment? What if instead of feeling stressed, overwhelmed and removed from our lives we felt energised, centered and fully engaged? We are at the turning point where we can create the lives we say we only dream of. We are powerful beyond measure, we are so powerful in fact that we actually get in our own way simply by believing that we cannot create the lives we most desire and that we are powerless to make a change.

Now I am not trying to offer you a moment of inspiration and motivation that gives you a five minute energy rush only for it to drop back down to reality on the sixth minute. Change requires us to make an entire paradigm shift and for that we need courage, dedication and a little bit of faith in the magic of the unknown.

So what are some things we can think about in transition?

1. Being ok with the uncertainty of where you are now.

Before we can make a change we have to first accept and acknowledge where we are right now. Take a moment and close your eyes. Breathe into your body and feel the sensations, feelings and emotions moving throughout your body. Breathe into them whether it is excitement, fear, anxiety or even numbness, breathe into it and welcome it in, embrace it with open arms. This might sound counterintuitive but think about how lovely it is to receive a hug from a friend when you are feeling down. We can learn to give that to ourselves whenever we feel like we need a little extra support and attention.

2. Letting go of the old story and allowing possibility to enter.

We cannot be in the present and step forward into our future if we do not let go of the story of our past. The mind works in such a way that it relates everything new (about 80% to be exact) to past experience in order to make sense of it. By comparing, it becomes easy to judge and label things as good or bad and quite often we give up before we even began.

How many times have we said to ourselves things like, “Well that relationship failed so why wouldn’t this one?” or “I didn’t have the skills for that job so why should I try for this one?” We don’t even give opportunity a chance because we are afraid of repeating the past. The irony is by holding onto that fear and giving in to that old belief we are in fact already choosing to repeat the past in that very moment. So ask yourself, “Am I willing to let go of the story so I can create a new one?”

3. Discovering your power and committing to you.

We all have grown up with many exte
al influences; be it our parents, peers, society, media etc. Our search for approval, validation, inclusion and acceptance has lent itself to taking on these influences as truth, as who we think we should be. But it serves no one to be someone that we are not.

How would it feel if we could all uniquely be who we are and be supported and loved for that? Media and fashion tells us we should all look the same – it’s easier to be a white sheep than a black one. Our parents encourage us to do things for our safety and for “what is best for us”. But no one says we should follow our bliss, our heart and our passion.

I invite you to go back to what excited you as a child. Ask yourself, “What enlivens me?” “What is important to me” “What would make me feel free?” “How could I be of service to the world?” Start asking yourself the questions and look inward for the answers rather than looking outward for them. You know, deep down you know your purpose because each and every one of us has one, the problem is we’re trying to fit into someone else’s purpose instead of our own.

4. Having the courage to be the co-creator of your life.

We have lived in a paradigm that supported “Do what your told, be good, work hard and life will be ok.” We have lost our power, our sense of creativity and the ability to manifest and embody the life we truly want for ourselves. Life isn’t just about being good and working hard. Life is an experience, it is a blank canvas and we are the painter. We aren’t meant to just get by and survive. We are meant to thrive, create and inspire others by sharing our experience of this crazy journey called life.

Remember when you were young how imaginative you were? How you could create a game, a fantasy and then play it out? Reawaken your imagination and creativity and start painting the life you most desire. We don’t need to live in black and white and shades or grey. Put colour into your life.
So we may not know what the next step is, or what the answer to the puzzle is in this very moment, but that doesn’t mean we stop being and living. We have the opportunity to redefine our lives, to recreate the paradigms, to reestablish new beliefs that support our fullest potential. All we have to do is believe in ourselves, in life and embrace the possibility that the unknown can be beautiful and exciting if that’s what we want it to be. So ask yourself “What’s next?” not with a tone of fear and ambivalence but with wonder and curiosity. See life through the eyes of a child again and enjoy!