"making changes"

Thought this section was a great reminder. I always need reminders! I love the "steps" and the analogy of the onion. We are peeling layer after layer.. crying and stinking! Just kidding.

I hope this excerpt resonates with someone in a way it did for me. 

From Madiysn Taylor's Learning to Live.

It takes courage to face the challenge of life changes, and it also takes timing—you must be ready. Change is something that can’t be forced; it needs to come from deep within, at a soul level, or you’ll find yourself only going through the motions of change… and more than likely a part of you will rebel. If you’re feeling like you want to make a change in your life—whether it involves your career, a relationship, a habit, or a move—there are steps you can take to help this process along:

1. Try to recognize where the feeling is coming from. Are you being told to change by somebody else, or are you really excited about it?

2. Next, journal about it and jot down what it is you want to change and why, and then write down what your expectations are after the change is complete. Journaling tells the universal energies that you are ready for this; you want this. The wheels will be set into motion, and you’ll be brought circumstances to help facilitate your desire.

3. Think about the ways in which you normally sabotage your life and write those down so you can recognize the signs if and when they come up.  Sit with all this for a few days, allow your excitement to build, and begin taking baby steps toward your change— small things you can do to feel a sense of accomplishment. Allow the change to unfold naturally in your life without beating yourself up. This can happen quite fast; or depending on what it is you want to change, it may take a long time.

I don’t necessarily love the process of change, because it is challenging, for sure, but I love when I come out on the other side of it. Not only did I survive, but I’m stronger and more empowered, I feel a sense of pride, and I know that no matter what happens, I don’t ever have to go back to where I was. But life can be like the proverbial onion, always another layer; or like a ladder, always another step. When you think you’ve addressed an issue and made the changes you want to, it’s possible that you may be faced with a similar issue, but it will be at a deeper level. This is the onion. It isn’t that you failed or took a step back; rather, it is your soul wanting to go deeper still. Your first reaction may be one of dismay that you worked so hard and here’s this problem again! Fear not—you’ve done well, but your soul is signaling that you’re ready to continue. This is the complete beauty of your soul: You won’t get a nudge or a sign until you’re ready, so in a way you can actually feel good about it. See it as an indication that you’re strong rather than having the feeling of going back into the trenches. Remember, too, that you always have free will; and if you’re truly happy where you are now, then that’s great. But if you have an inner knowing that keeps nudging you, saying that you’d like to make change, the universe will support you 100 percent. This I promise you, because I’ve seen it time and again in my own life.