The notion of change can stir both excitement and fear within, but the reality is that change is inevitable. Circumstances surrounding you will change throughout your lifetime and most often the only part of it that you will be able to control is your perspective and reaction to it. We as humans are not meant to stay the same, our personal growth and progression is directly correlated to how we navigate through change – embracing the lessons that we are meant to learn.
That being said, change is super uncomfortable and difficult to maintain. When we spend a great deal of time doing things the same way we become familiar with the outcome and that brings us a great deal of comfort. The fear of the unknown is what makes change so scary. When I first began this transformation journey I was certainly hopeful and excited, but I was also terrified. I had attempted change dozens of times before (basically every diet that has ever existed) and never achieved the level of success that I desired, leading me to feel like I had failed. What I had neglected to see was that successful change can be measured in a multitude of ways, no one way holds more value than the next. Though I have embarked on a major change, it has been an accumulation of smaller changes that have gotten me to where I am. I have also had to work really hard at silencing the ‘all or nothing’ mentality that was so engrained within me. You have to screw the idea of being perfect.
If you fail to acknowledge and celebrate what may seem like the smallest changes you are missing out on some fundamental lessons; learning to be patient with yourself and acknowledging your struggles are necessary to continue moving forward.
One of the biggest lessons that I have learnt on this journey is that your motivation to change has to be one hundred percent about you! Sure you can have other motivating factors; I for example want to set a powerful example for my daughter so that she always knows that she is capable of anything. But I know first-hand that I will never achieve the level of change that I want if I don’t put myself first. As a woman and mother this is especially challenging in our society; where spreading yourself thin and doing everything for everyone else while putting yourself dead last is encouraged. You cannot pour from an empty cup and only you are responsible for your own life.
It has been incredibly challenging for me to not worry about what other’s think. I have spent an unnecessary amount of time and energy trying to please other people and worrying about disappointing them, before even considering that I may be disappointing myself and sabotaging my own progress. I still need to remind myself that I am deserving of all that I desire out of life and that it does not make me selfish to put myself first. I now know that I am worth it, and that is change worth celebrating!
“Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear” – Unknown