Go through it, not around it.
Change can be hard. Transitions can be hard. It can be really tricky to get unstuck from where you currently might be at in life. BUT....the more that we are open to the changes and transitions of life and the more we are able to notice them, the more we will be able to flow through them vs. resist them or go around them.
Springtime is really the perfect time to notice transitions going on around you. Luckily enough, just this past weekend, I was able to go back to my hometown in Michigan and where I saw some spring-time transitions happening (they seem to be a few weeks ahead of the state that I live in.) Everything was so GREEN and if you're from anywhere in the midwest or a place that experiences a cold winter, you know this is an extremely welcome change. The tulips were blooming, the trees were blossoming, and you could hear the birds chirping. I took a few walks, just to take it all in...and that's the first step to going through transitions. Notice them.
Simply notice change happening around you (not to you.) Think about the changes that are happening outside your four walls. If you were to walk outside right now, how have things changed in the last month? Greener grass? Blooming trees? More sunshine? Once you make note of the changes that have happened, ask yourself, how does it feel to see these transitions happening? Do you notice a shift in your energy, your body, or your spirit?
Next, take some time to look for and acknowledge the transitions that you are making in your life at this time. Are you taking time to do a little spring cleaning and declutter your space? Donate some household items you’re no longer needing? Shifting the foods you're eating based on a shift in the weather? Or maybe something bigger like a career move or a lifestyle change? Whatever that change may be, check-in and ask yourself what impact that change may have on you? For example, if you’re doing some spring cleaning, maybe you feel physically and mentally less cluttered. Taking time to notice the changes you are making to your life and how each of those changes make you feel (good, bad, and all the emotions in between) allows you to slowly build trust in transitions and ultimately, trust in yourself.
This brings us to the last, and maybe the most powerful step...trust your transitions. The more awareness we have around transitions and how often they happen in our daily lives, the more we can learn to lean into this process. By building trust in the smaller changes that we make, the more we will be able to flow through bigger changes vs. go around them or avoid them all together. That doesn’t mean that change will always be easy, but it will allow you to trust your inner knowing when it comes time to make that change. When it is time to make a transition, and you’re still feeling some resistance, you can ask yourself a few questions.
If I let go of; fear, worry, doubt, uncertainty (insert any emotion you’re feeling here), would I be able to open up to this opportunity in order to experience something different?
Are there changes that I have made in the past that have led me to something amazing?
When I’ve made a change in the past and it didn’t go as I had thought it would, did I learn something from it?
If I don’t do this, what could I miss out on?
Remember, when it comes to making a change, “you don’t need to see the whole staircase, you just need to take the first step.”-- Martin Luther King Jr.
