Last Monday’s post was my most successful yet – comments and hits wise that is and possibly one of the most  successful in a helpful way too – unfortunately that doesn’t come up on the analytics .  I would like to thank everyone who released emotions which they no longer wished to carry the full weight of and trust that in some small way it has made you feel lighter and added to your inner growth.

I will take a guess here and surmise that for some of you a fear had to be overcome to place a comment  and I wanted you who did over come a fear to know that last Monday I had a fear too.  It wasn’t in writing the post as only I was seeing it, yet as I went to push the publish button I hesitated, I doubted myself and quavered.  My last  post was different from my usual Monday sort, a move away from my comfort zone.  I could feel the build up inside me, I was a bit scared and put it down to maybe it wasn’t a good time to do a post like this  – what if I offend someone, what if no one comments, what if this and what if that…

As I sat there thinking whether ‘to publish or not to publish’ I began to wonder if maybe the feeling was just plain old fear; fear of doing something differently, of expanding, of growing.  Which one was it?  Then I remembered a piece I read in a magazine about a woman who had come through an experience of cancer.  When asked what positive had come out of her experience she said she would no longer waste another day not feeling totally liberated to be whoever she wanted to be.  Then I thought of all those people who have done great things in their life and often when asked, they too, say that they had to over come personal fear.

I decided then it was just plain old fear so proceeded with finishing off the post.  All the while the feeling kept chipping away, but I pressed on reminding myself not to succumb to it for it was only trying to keep me living a ‘small life’.   By the time I had finished doing all the extra bits like picking the picture etc it was too late for fear to grip me fully.  I had walked through it and was already on the other side with enough inner oomph to push the publish button.

~~ When I feel fear rising within I usually picture it as a wall of sheer muslin type curtains [hence the above picture], don’t ask me why, it’s just how it appears to me.   Obscuring what I want to see, do and be yet at the same time powerless to hold me back if I choose to move forward.  The curtains offer the illusion of resistance but really there is none for it is all self imposed.  So I picture myself walking through them and feeling the fear/curtains gently waft over me as I pass through.  No harm can be done as the fear is weightless  in comparison to the motion of me moving forward – both physically and mentally.  The fear becomes insignificant.  Only not moving forward stops me from being all I can be as only not moving forward stops you from being all you can be.

Which of your fears will you walk through?

Enjoy

Photo by independentman

Other postings you might like to read:

Delight in all the turns of your life

Simplicity Thursday – 5 things to do whilst boiling the kettle

In the silence are all the answers you seek

On Christmas Eve during the First World War, soldiers on both sides of the divide laid down their weapons and sang the carol ‘silent night’.  This most popular of all carols is sung in many languages all over the world and the tune is known by many millions of people.  It is a connection, especially at this time of the year, that many share in.

These connecting threads which bind us with the past are for many, a large part of Christmas.  Be the threads big or small, there is continuity to this time of the year and as time passes it is often the traditions which make Christmas what it is.

Whether or not you are interested in or even know who your ancestors were, it is nice to feel that you are part of a tradition.  Knowing that what you do now has permanence to it and meaning adds to the feeling that you are part of a much bigger picture.  Whether you think Christmas carols are corny or old fashioned is beside the point, what matters is, understanding that Christmas is bigger than you. Bigger than who gives the best and brightest gift, who looks the most glamorous at the work party or who can organise it all by themselves and be superwoman (or man).

Whilst Christmas, as a holy day, is not celebrated by all in this world; the spirit of it is.  The spirit of giving, love, charity and tradition can be felt by all, irrelevant of religious persuasion and that after all, is what Christmas really is all about.

Enjoy

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Other posting you might like:

Allow your inner voice to speak

Why living the life of your dreams is not being selfish

Take at least a small step each day

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dont put a lid on your potential

When people think of clutter they usually think of an untidy attic, unwanted knick knacks or drawers overflowing. That type of clutter is the obvious type, it is our external clutter, but there is another sort – our internal clutter. Those beliefs and habits which are not supporting the way we would like to live our lives and are just there because we never got around to removing them or making new ones. We either inherited them many years ago as children or we were given them and just started to use them as they were there at the time. They are the habits and limiting beliefs that clutter up our potential in life and stop us from achieving all we can achieve. They get in the way of us being all we can be by clouding our aspirations and weighing us down with negative thoughts and self sabotaging patterns of behaviour. Just as we give our houses a spring clean and throw out things we no longer need so we should do the same with our internal ‘possessions’.

Identify one habit or belief that is no longer useful to you and get rid of it

Now, this is not as easy as external decluttering because we cannot just throw it out or give it away in one swoop. External decluttering is different as we do not ‘chuck out’ our old internal possessions but must swap them for another which is better suited to our needs.   Habits/beliefs cannot be disposed of but they can be changed to one that is more suited to the way we now wish to live.

Decide what your new supporting habit/belief replacement will be

A lot of what we do on a daily basis is habit, so it is in our interests to have those habits which will support us the most in achieving what we want to achieve.  Different things work for different people but I find that notes put up as reminders work for most people.  Sometimes it is good to wear a piece of jewelry (say a ring) that is slightly cumbersome thus making you conscious of it several times a day.  These have the effect of constantly reminding us of our new habit in the early stages when the old one is still dominant and the new one has not yet been embedded.   A bit like learning to drive a car where we must be conscious of all we do in the early stages – remembering to push the clutch in to change the gears and to look over our shoulder when manoeuvring etc.  It all seems very mechanical in the beginning and we think it will never be easy and flow but after a while it does and it all becomes automatic (as long as we press on and continue and not give up).   So it is with changing a habit or belief.   It may seem like a struggle in the beginning  remembering to do it the new way because our system is set up so that we automatically do it the old way and it can be hard to change that after many years.  The old track is well worn and it’s not easy hacking a new one through dense forest.  It is worth it in the end and as a result your habits are more supportive of the life you wish to lead now instead of the life you led in the past.

To recap:

1. decide which habit or belief you no longer want to use
2. find another to replace it with
3. put up notes and reminders to prompt you to do it the new supportive way
   
4. be conscious of when you are performing the old non supporting way
5. keep pushing on until the new habit is embedded
   
6. stay alert for the old one returning so you can nip it in the bud

I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday~Anon

photo by Beverley

I have been busy getting in the corridor this last week; even though it is two weeks since I blogged.  The week pre last I was in UK and although I had great plans for it to be productive in a business sense; it wasn’t….basically as I couldn’t be arsed to do anything except relax (we all have those times).  Upshot is I am gagging to work this week and downside was that ….well in reality there is no downside as I am resolved to only look at the positive!!

So I have been busy twittering and working out how it all goes.  Social networking is not really my thang but I enjoy the tweets as they are short and you can just add a tweet whenever you fancy.  It is amazing the people that are on it from all walks of life.

I have been trying this last fortnight to change some of my beliefs which no longer support the future which I want to live in.  It is not easy as personally I think mine are a bit tricky as they hide themselves exceptionally well amongst my better ones.  I shall endeavour to hunt them out and purge them from my mind.  Read a great book last week by Kahlil Gibran called the Prophet.  It was lovely and inspirational and best of all only a quick read, so it was finished on the way back from UK

To accept the life that is intended for us we must let go of the life we had planned