You Are Changing

Can I Really Do It?

Lose 25 pounds and keep it off. Do work you enjoy and earn a good living. Be in a great relationship. No sooner do you name the thing you want to call into your life, and there is the thought: Will I really do what I say I'm going to do? What if I can't?

You'd be the rare exception if you didn't have those thoughts, but there's one more to add to the mix and it's this: I am changing. Remember the game freeze tag you played as a kid? Think of that image and that's the only grain of truth in those can-I-really-do-it thoughts. That is, if you were to "stay frozen" in how you did things yesterday, it would be tough to reach your goal because by definition, goals require you to do something differently. But it's not yesterday, it's today, and you are changing every day, one way or another. Make the changes that encourage growth.

The changing you can accomplish it. The you that's evolving is acquiring new skills, practicing new habits, and leveraging the best of who you are. That you doesn't dwell on deficiencies. That you entertains what's possible and trusts the way forward.

What's Trust Got To Do With It?

When you plant a tulip bulb in the ground, you trust that if you tend to it, the mysterious and miraculous process of growth takes care of the rest. It is the exact same for you and your growth. Trust yourself as you step forward. Trust that which can't be seen right now, from your current perspective.

This is what trust sounds like: I'll try it this way and see if it works. I'll adjust as I go. I'll figure it out and what I don't know I'll learn. I'll get help along the way. Things will happen that I can't even imagine right now.

Celebrate Your New Self

You can dread the change that's required to have the life you want or you can see change as life itself. Last year about this time, I noticed that I was in a mode of trying new things so I started keeping a list of "new" as the year went along: swimming laps (a first for me), converting from PC to Mac (another first), launching a new website, altering my morning routine, and there were other things added as the year went along. Taking note of the changes I was making and talking about them with my friends became a way of celebrating my growth. Each time I said, "Here's another one for the list," it added to the momentum.

When you see yourself as capable of change and willing to try new things, you are opening to what will propel you toward your goals.

This Week's Call To Action:

• Notice the positive ways you are changing, even if ever so subtle. Delight in your own growth. Be the tulip.

Look at how you're changing.

"While everything around you is changing,
you are also changing.

Trust your new self to adapt
in all things you do."
-Maya Angelou

Here's to you,