Contemplation – What’s Next In Your Life?

Contemplation – Do you ever wonder what’s next in your life?  I don’t know about you, but mine seems to go in cycles about every seven years. This life I am living has been so diverse, it feels like I have lived several lifetimes in one. Like many of you, I feel a big shift coming my way, a gut feeling that one chapter is ending and another beginning. Anticipation is palpable for positive shifts and new adventures.

How we handle these shifts is important to our well-being, as well as the outcomes we experience. Do we ease into them with open arms, or resist until the struggle persists, stopping the flow of the next phase as it unfolds?

A friend of mine recently decided to quit his job as a bartender. He loves the town he lives in, the people in it and his job, yet feels that it’s time to make a change. I asked him why he wanted to move to Las Vegas. He told me he has grown too comfortable and won’t grow if he remains stagnant.  When he asked his younger brother (both in their 20’s) what he thought, the response was for the process of self-growth, to move on and experience more of life.  When I ran into my friend yesterday, he told me he is having second thoughts about leaving and wanted to talk about it.

We don’t trust our instincts, especially when other people start giving us their well meaning opinions. Always remember, others come from their perspective and life choices, not yours. Picking up to move can strike fear in people.  Make sure the wisdom they impart is true to you . My dad used the old saying, “Worry is interest paid by those who borrow trouble.” Be cautious  of the people you take advice from.

This brought to mind what T. Harv Eker always says: “If you‘re not growing, you‘re dying.” He also says to grow bigger than your problems, that successful people are bigger than their problems, while unsuccessful people are smaller than their problems. Isolating yourself to stay ‘safe’ will work for awhile, but eventually can become it’s own prison.

My question to my friend would be, “Is this move a distraction, or something that rings true in your heart?”  Only he knows the answer. When we face change it’s important to ask questions and be honest with what comes up. My advice is always to follow your courageous heart.

Debra Oakland