As I was driving along my road trip across Canada, I passed by a sign that caught my eye. It had the words, “Old ways won’t open new doors” etched onto it in bold, capital letters. For the rest of my drive, that quote stuck to my mind like a feeling I couldn’t shake. I pictured that sign as I drove through the provinces that led me home.
Taking risks outside of your comfort zone is hard. Familiarity and routine can bring us the comfort we search for in the chaotic throws of our lives. But if we’re looking for new opportunities and change, sometimes comfort is the very thing we have to let go of.
There have been countless times I’ve found myself following along the same pathways in my life, expecting a totally different result. It could be in my relationships, my work, my personal goals- I thought I could stick to my old ways and still find change along the way. Needless to say, it never happened! It was only when I began to trust myself and really work to change my old habits that life began to change with me.
TRUST YOURSELF
They say trust is one of the most important traits of a healthy relationship. This includes your relationship with yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, not many others will either. You know yourself, and your intuition is one of the most reliable voices you can listen too. When my intuition would speak up, I used to listen to others instead of my own inner voice. Often times, I’d be left only to find myself wondering why I ever doubted myself in the first place.
“I know myself. I trust myself”
IT TAKES TIME
All good things take time, and although I can be patient with a lot of things, I’m often the least patient when it comes to myself. If you’ve been doing something a certain way for years, it will take time to step outside of your comfort zone and routine to make a lasting change- and that’s okay. Be patient with yourself and you will begin to see the change easing into your life just as it is meant to.
THERE IS NO END DESTINATION
Working on oneself is a lifelong commitment. We never stop growing, learning or changing. I used to think that if I improved on myself as much as I could, I would reach a place where I was happy with myself- my end destination. In reality, there is no such place. We cannot accept ourselves if we’re in belief that there is something fundamentally wrong with us. Self acceptance begins today, right here in this moment.
USE KIND WORDS
I never knew what a deep impact my self-talk had on the way I felt about myself until recently. It felt, and still does at times feel strange to say positive things to myself. All it takes is a few positive words; “I can do this. I am strong enough, I trust myself. I am good enough.” If it feels awkward to say these things to yourself, then kind words are just what you need.
Have you ever had trouble changing your old ways and embracing change?
