Making Changes & Finding Your Starting Point

Today I want to talk about making big change in your life and how to figure out where to begin.  But before I get into that, I just want to say that I cannot believe that this blog has been up for over 3 years already!  How did that happen?!  

I'm actually really excited about going into the third year of this blog because I have a lot of ideas on how I'd like to post more and make this an even better resource for you.  One of the things I'll be doing soon is writing about the life coaching course I am taking through Beautiful You Coaching Academy.  Here's a sneak peak at my study corner that I posted on Instagram earlier this week:

My first class is a week from Monday, so I'll spend some time before then writing about how I decided to take the class and also cover what I expect to get out of it.  

But for today, we're talking about something else.  I was listening to a podcast yesterday by Connie Chapman.  Her podcast is called Awaken Radio, and in case you haven't heard of it she covers topics like happiness, confidence, self-love, and spirituality.  I would highly recommend checking it out if you are into personal development.  The episode I listened to was about "Bringing Your Big Dreams To Life".  I had some ideas and I took some notes while I was listening, so here they are...

In order to make big changes in your life, you need to figure out where to start.  Sometimes this can be so overwhelming that we quit right there and don't go any further.  But generally this can make us feel like we have unresolved issues or like there's something missing.  So instead of giving up, I'd like to walk you through how I personally make big changes in my life.

First, you need to put some thought into who you want to be and what that feels like. You might want to ask yourself what kind of energy you want to feel throughout the day.  An easy way to do this is to simply pick a word. It can be any word that makes you feel good and embodies the person you ultimately want to be.  For this example, we'll use the word Confidence.  It clearly explains who I want to be and I already have an idea of what Confidence feels like.

And then the next step is even easier - you simply need to do it.  Which sounds stupidly simple and kind of ridiculous.  But honestly, give it a try for a day and see how it feels.  For example, if you spend a few minutes when you first wake up thinking about Confidence, it's going to plant a seed in your brain that will stay there all day.  And every time you remember to think about your word and and how it makes you feel, you'll be watering your plant and it will grow.  It's a cheesy analogy, I know, but work with me here...

A lot of times we tend to build up in our heads what it would take to make a change or to start living the life we want to live. We tell ourselves "If I lose weight, then I will be confident". Or "if I find my soulmate, then I will be happy". But what if we are putting the cart before the horse? Isn't it possible that in order to fall in love or in order to lose weight we need to be confident and happy first? And what are confidence and happiness?  They are feelings!

What if the answer is to simply feel our way towards living the life we want to live? Honestly, our feelings are one of the only things that we actually have any control over. We can't control the economy, or traffic, or what other people do. Those are all external things. But we can control how we feel each and every day. And it takes a lot of work to be conscious of how you are feeling throughout the day, but once you become aware of your feelings it's easier to navigate and get back on track once you realize you are headed down the road you don't want to go down.

Here are some ways to get in tune with your feelings:

• Meditation
• Journaling or free writing
• Going for a quiet walk

​These may seem froufrou or too "spiritual", but in reality they are just ways to quiet your mind and listen to what you are feeling.  And that's really what matters.  

So in summary, pick a feeling, make a mental decision to embody that feeling for the whole day, and occasionally stop what you are doing and listen to how you are feeling throughout the day.  Easy enough, right?

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I hope this was a helpful exercise.  Please let me know if you have any success following these steps.  I would also like to know what other topics you'd like me to cover in the future, so please feel free to leave a comment below with questions or requests.