Transformation Takes Courage

If you could change your life would you? We all say yes to this very quickly. YES OF COURSE I WOULD… so we are motivated to make some changes and then as soon as it gets hard we quit.

Real transformation – I am talking about creating a life that you are proud to live, a life that has meaning to you and the people around you, a life that has impact on the world – requires ending that cycle.

Not only do we need to feel inspired to change, get motivated to change by taking action, but then we need to develop the courage, determination and dedication to see it through.

Let’s look at an example: You are inspired to run a 5K. You think it would be fun and healthy and a great way to spend time with friends and family. You’re motivated to action by buying new running shoes at the mall, finding a couple of cute running outfits, you may even download a couch to 5K app. And then you go outside to start running. It’s hot, buggy and not fun to run alone. You go around the block and go home. You start wearing your cute new running outfits to lounge in, deinstall the app, and that’s it. We are done running. Does this sound familiar?

Transformation requires that we keep going. That we keep going out into the heat, alone, for example. We keep studying, we keep on moving forward. If you know me, you know that is one of my favorite ideas and an absolute passion of mine in all circumstances. KEEP MOVING FORWARD! Let’s look at what it takes to keep moving forward.

How do we know if it is time to move forward, to change? The first clue is that sense of overwhelm that we experience when we have too much on our plates, don’t know where we are heading or refuse to say no to people and events that don’t necessarily serve us or our purpose in this life. When we feel overwhelmed it is a great time to put your foot down, stop the merry go round from spinning and decide what needs to happen step-by-step.

The second clue is that we are miserable in general. It is hard for you to wake up in the morning. Hard to get motivated and inspiration is difficult to find. This state of being is a huge indicator that it is time to check in with your deepest sense of self, connect with your higher self, dig deep and make some changes.

The third clue that it is time to step up to the plate and begin the process of moving forward is that sense that you are not complete, satisfied or whole.

We were born to live a state of constant desire. We want something until we have it, and then we want something else. These desires never really go away and they can be anything from a new purse to a doctoral degree, a new house to a great friendship. It is not just things that we want, but achievements, relationships, adventures and knowledge.

So how do we do this… how do we move forward to create true transformation in our lives once we have noticed that it is indeed time?

As the title of this post suggests, we must develop COURAGE. Courage is the absolute defining characteristic of those who keep moving forward and those who don’t. The very concept of courage is facing your fear and moving forward anyway.

So one of the first things to do is to break it down and determine what your fears really are. To use our previous example: We have been inspired to run a 5K. We have everything we need to train and complete this goal and yet we don’t. Why? Because we are afraid. What is it that we could be afraid of? Injury, loneliness while training, failure, having completed the 5K being inspired to bigger goals, wasting our time, etc., etc.

Those are just examples of what we could be afraid of and the important point here is that we need to figure out what it is that keeps us in fear.

Once we figure it out, then we need to work on developing the COURAGE MUSCLE to break through the fear. For example: If we are afraid of loneliness while we train, how can we break through that fear? The easy answer is to get a running partner, but that isn’t really facing the fear of loneliness is it? No, what we are talking about here is facing the fear of loneliness by developing a strong connection and love for ourselves. And that my friends requires COURAGE. Continuing with this example: Go out alone for 10 minutes and work towards focusing on all the many beautiful or interesting things you see. Make a game of it. Don’t even run, just go out into the world and be alone for 10 minutes. The next day, go out for 15 minutes. In addition, read books on loneliness, on fear and on motivation. Learn what you can and do what you can. That is all any of us can do.

What other ways can you think of to develop your courage muscle?

What I see most often in my work is that we get afraid and we succumb to the fear. Don’t let this happen to you. Tap into your inner lion and BE COURAGEOUS. Keep moving forward one courageous step, no matter how small, at a time.

Are you ready to change your life? See you at the 5K!!!