Choosing Change Can Be Hard and Scary, but It's Worth It

Feeling stuck in life is a hard place to be

You get trapped in old habits that no longer serve you. Navigating life transitions can help you to get the best out of life.

Every time you choose the "devil you know versus the devil you don't know," you move further and further away from living the life the universe desire you to live.

Your inner critic is getting in the way of you moving ahead. The challenge is to get over the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness.

Build a Relationship with Your Inner Critic

An excellent place to start is to develop a relationship with your inner critic. Remember, your inner critic is there to keep you safe. Your ego thinks the only way to keep you safe is to prevent you from trying anything new.

Instead of starting a war with your inner judge, build a healthy relationship and give this part of you a more constructive role.

When you are young, the inner critic keeps you safer by preventing you from doing things that could injure you. The problem begins when you grow into adulthood and give more power to your inner critic over the voice of your true self.

Navigating life transitions requires just as much commitment to learning something new as with anything else you do for the first time.

Want to Learn Five Tips to Manage Life Transitions? Click Here

Recognize the Voice of the Inner Critic

Now the first thing you need to learn is to recognize the inner critic's voice. The voice of the inner critic is usually loud, hostile and impatient. Take a moment right now and notice the conversation that is going on in your head. Does the voice sound more like the gentle, encouraging and strong voice of your true self or the opposing voice of the inner critic?

You will often hear your inner critic's voice whenever you need to change your life. See this as a sign you are moving in the right direction.

Practice Practice

With practice, you will learn to notice when your inner critic is active. When you become aware of it, you can have a conversation asking this part of yourself to encourage you to make the changes in your life.

Name your Inner Critic

You might want to give your inner critic a name to make it easier to have a conversation. It might help you to provide it with a silly name, so you don't take this part of yourself too seriously.

Get grounded whenever you catch your inner critic trying to crush you. You can do this by doing something physical that will get you in touch with your body and help to quiet your mind. Find a practice that works for you, including listening to music, singing, dancing, gardening, praying, meditating, cooking, or anything else that works for you.

Your Inner Critic Will Never Go Away, but You Can Tame It

Your inner critic will quiet down when you feel good about yourself and the world.

Unfortunately, your inner critic will never go away. The best you can do is to keep it calm when you give your true self permission to use the energy of the inner critic.

Once you realize you have had enough of the status and are now prepared to do whatever it takes to revitalize your life, your life will begin to change. Navigating life transitions will become easier to practice.

Take the First Step

All you have to do is to take the first step. Once you start, the momentum for change will grow.

Prepare yourself for this time when your inner critic will try every trick in the book to stop you from making any changes. If you are prepared to navigate life transitions, you will find the path you need to take.

Here are 7 steps to prepare for the launch of your new life:

1.      Find a practice to help you stay aware of what is happening within you. (e.g., prayer, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi). Whatever you choose, do it regularly. Start slowly and increase the length gradually until you get up to an optimum time.

2.      Take care of your body with good food, exercise and rest. What do you enjoy that helps you to stay active? Remember the preciousness of your body.

3.      Practice Radical Gratitude Focus on everything you are thankful for, such as food, shelter, friends, family, the sun, rain, wild animals, and much more. It is more difficult to be negative, self-destructive and judgmental when you are feeling thankful. 

4.      Journal about you what you want for your life. What are your dreams? If you could do anything, what would that be?

5.      Take time with friends who love you as you are. Friends who will listen to you and try not to fix you? Friends who are encouraging and honest.

6.      Put up sticky notes to remind you of the gifts you bring to the world. Ask a friend or family member you trust if you have difficulty naming them.

7.      Stay curious about your inner conversation, acknowledge the pearl of truth and let go of the rest. Most of what your inner critic tells you have little validity.

Want to Learn 7 Ways To Navigate The Seasons Of Your Life With Grace & Joy? Click Here

Accountability

Navigating life transitions requires making positive changes in your life is one of the most important things you will ever do. Do not try to do this alone. It would be best if you had the support of family, friends and professionals. Pick at least one person to who you can stay accountable. 

There will be tough times when you are tempted to return to your old ways. Having a person to hold you to your plan will make it more difficult for you to quit.

Make time to connect regularly with your support person to assess how you are doing and encourage you to make positive choices.

This person needs to be able to speak the truth. You want them to be able, to be honest with you whether you are not doing enough or doing well. Commit to listening to this person whether or not they say things you do or don't want to hear.

It Is All Worth It!

You are making a considerable investment in your life. It will be scary and challenging because you are confronting parts of yourself that you do not like. Have faith that this work is worth all the feelings of inadequacy, shame and guilt. It will help you to connect with your true self.

You will find your true self whenever you pay attention to your three centers of intelligence. The surprise is that you have three brains instead of one.

Want to Learn More About the Enneagram to learn about the Centers of Intelligence? Click Here

Yes, your life can be much better. You will learn all you need to know about navigating life transitions. The more you stay open to the wisdom within you, the greater flow you will have in life. The greater the flow, the more amazing adventures you will have because you will be doing things you never dreamt were possible.

Roland Legge can help you to make positive changes in your life. Roland Legge is a Certified Spiritual Life Coach and a minister in the United Church of Canada in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.  You can join my newsletter for free advice, get your free E-book, and sign up for a Discovery Call that will include a mini-coaching session at no charge