Many of us dream of making a big change one day. Whether we envision a career change, a relocation, or changing how we’ll spend our personal time, we imagine happier and more fulfilling futures for ourselves. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to feel connected to these imagined realities. We allow them to feel far off in the distance, safely tucked away under “someday.”
Too often, we de-prioritize our long-term goals and tell ourselves that we will make a change or learn a skill “when the time is right.” The actual tangible steps that need to be taken in order to create our desired fate take the back burner, and we allow ourselves to give into the comfort of staying put. Most often, telling ourselves that it’s just not the right time yet is how we grant ourselves permission to avoid taking risks. By allowing ourselves to believe that there will be a time when everything is perfectly aligned for us to make that life change, we ignore our intuition and neglect our happier, future selves.
The realities we dream up in our imagination are closer than we think, if we just stop waiting. Stop waiting for a sign, for more money, for reassurance and for permission. Actively pursuing big life changes will always be scary, and no matter how long we wait, we will likely never feel fully ready for it. The only way to get to where we want to be is to embrace the chaos around us and begin making changes, now.
When it comes time to start taking tangible steps towards your vision, start with the simplest task and make it as small as you need to. Flirt with dropping your idea into everyday conversations with people. See how it feels to call yourself an artist, to start looking at apartments in a new city, or to start dressing differently. It is likely that acknowledging your vision in small ways will yield great responses from the people around you and it’ll motivate you to keep taking steps towards the future you see for yourself.
The only way to get to where we want to be is to embrace the chaos around us and begin making changes, now.
From there, continue taking baby steps. Surround yourself with the people who support your vision, pick the brains of those who have gone before you, and lean on those who offer their help. Sign up for a class. Ask questions. Book a ticket. Take tangible actions, step by step, starting now. By doing this you are honoring your truest self and actively becoming the person you are meant to be.
When change starts to feel intimidating, we should remember that no good story ever started with “First, everything was perfect.” Life is messy, unpredictable and wonderfully chaotic. This season, let’s work on embracing the now, inviting our intuition into the front of our lives, and giving ourselves permission to pursue the things that scare us. Creating change will always be intimidating, but what’s on the other side is the person you have always imagined becoming. She is worthy, she is happy, and she is just a few steps away.
What’s your big vision for right now? What’s one small step you can take to make that vision more of a reality?
Image via Stephanie Velez
4 comments
This is so encouraging! My big dream / vision is to move to California and I’m starting to take steps to pursue it!
I love that Aleah! That was me five years ago. One of my friend’s moms gave me the best advice. She told me to just start. Start taking steps. Start making plans. Start taking baby steps to making the move to L.A. I moved five months later. It was the best decision ever!
– Stephanie
Wow. This beautiful article is exactly what I needed to read. Did I tear up when I finished it? Yes I did.
Thank you for the motivating article! I hope to publish a book one day… but yeah, like you mentioned, I keep waiting for the ~right time~. This is the push I needed! 🙂
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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com