Have you been feeling like you are walking along the edge of a cliff? Like your next step could plunge you into an abyss.
You can’t look down. And it’s too unnerving to stay frozen on this edge. That’s just not an option.
Think about it for a moment. You’ve felt like this before. And in this moment, you’re feeling it again.
Whether the edge is the next leap in your business, your attempt with a new skill (like when I tried the cello), or cracking the code of greater self-discovery, it all has to do with expansion.
Expansion happens at the edges of your known world. It brings you into a new landscape with unfamiliar markers. That, by its nature, is uncomfortable!
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Maybe you’re in this place because of an external push from an outside situation. Life has a way of moving, even when you hold on. And you don’t know how things will “work out”.
But you never really know how things will work out, do you?
When this happens to me (and I often find myself at the edge), I see the discomfort as part of my next step. It’s a nudge from the Universe when I’m holding back, and what I really need is to step forward.
Holding back or hiding out may be your first impulse. However, it will not bring you comfort in this new environment. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable, even scared. That makes sense when you are walking along a cliff edge!
But it’s important not to get paralyzed. Or, conversely, not to leap right into action, or dive into planning—doing anything so you don’t feel what you are feeling.
Explore the feeling first. Get curious about it. After all, curiosity gives you space to explore and expand. See what you need.
You might know that you need quiet time. Allow yourself to be truly quiet. Don’t lose yourself in watching TV or reading a book.
What’s important is to work with the expansion. This isn’t the first time you’ve grown into something new. Create space to remember that you’ve been here before. Remember that it has worked out before.
You may bump against old ideas of yourself or of how life is supposed to be. After all, these new experiences are stretching your boundaries, aren’t they? Boundaries are the conditioned, patterned ways of doing and thinking that you learned growing up.
So if you’ve been approaching this in your usual way, perhaps a shift is in order. Claim the freedom to explore, to modify and to experiment.
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Start by feeling the ground under your feet and the support that offers. That’s what being grounded means—that the ground will hold you up! You might notice that the quality of your thoughts is different, or you have ideas that surprise you. Hang out with what is new. Welcome these different thoughts. Allow your pictures and ideas to be fluid so that you can discover what lies beyond your edge.
After all, it’s who you are moving into being.
To grow is to go beyond what you already know. @TheBacaJourney (Click to Tweet!)
Which by its nature takes you beyond your comfort zone. At some point, you will adjust to the changes. This is where you will feel moved into action.
Go deep. Ground into this new place first. Then know that your next steps are full with the you who you are today.
Where are you now? Where are you headed? Let me know.
Laurie Seymour is a mentor/guide, #1 best-selling author, host of the Wisdom Talk Radio podcast and founder of The Baca Journey. She helps women and men who are in the midst of great change to have a direct experience of their inner wisdom, dissolving self-doubt. Then she provides the strategies to sustain their inner connection so that they live the life they know is possible with confidence. Start now with a complimentary exploratory session (virtual tea!). Let’s explore where you’ve been and illuminate where you’re heading.
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