| |
As we face obstacles and trauma in our lives, we
are sometimes forced to make dramatic changes in order to shift the energy
and pain. This always results in self-growth and a greater expansion of
consciousness. “The more pain, the more gain.” This adage holds a lot of
truth but brings no comfort at a time of crisis. It is important to remember
that everything is a process. One must move through the process. There is no
way to bypass being human. There are five basic steps to self-growth and
healing:
Step one: Set your Intention/Desire for Change The first and most important
step for self-growth and healing is to simply to desire change. One must
turn inward and take a deep, close look into the heart. “Am I ready for
change?” “Do I have the courage to change? “How can I relieve the pain?”
These are important starting questions. Answer them honestly. If you are
ready, then you can begin your journey.
Step two: Relax/Seek a Serene Place to Heal and Grow
This step my require leaving your comfort zone. You may need to take a trip
or go on a retreat. You must remove yourself from the “freeze zone.” The
freeze zone is that place where you are stuck. In this sense, I am talking
about physically removing yourself. Find a new setting or environment for
healing to take place. Yet, the freeze zone could also mean an emotional
shut down where you no longer allow yourself to feel all your emotions. In
other words, you are blocked.
Step three: Let go/Release that Which is no Longer Serving You This means
that once you are in a safe place and you have begun to relax and quiet your
mind, whether it is through breathing, meditation, prayer, or just walking
in nature, you can now begin to release. Sometimes we hold onto the pain
because we are comfortable with it. We know what to expect. If we let go,
then we sail into the unknown. This is very unsettling for there could be
even more pain ahead. At this point it takes trust or faith to move forward.
We must break down old walls and barriers. In order to move past the pain,
we must feel every inch of it and then let it go.
Step four: Rebuild/Create a New Paradigm & Gain a New Perspective This step
requires “new eyes.” We now can step back from the drama and be an observer.
We can see things that we never saw before. We are no longer buried in the
constant changing world of emotions. It is now up to us to re-create
ourselves. It is at this point that we begin to see that it didn’t happen TO
us, it happened FOR us. That’s right, we gain the perspective that the
challenge we faced made us stronger and helped us grow and expand.
Step five: Transform/You are the Master of Your Beautiful Self Now we begin
to realize that we create our existence. No one is responsible for our lives
but ourselves. No one is to blame. We learn to forgive others and to forgive
ourselves. We take responsibility for where we’ve been and where we are
headed. It’s amazing what wheels we start in motion with only a single
thought! We are creating our lives and ourselves and our future every moment
of every day. And it’s only the moment that counts because it’s all we
really have…and in an instant, it too will be gone. So we stay in the moment
and we realize that it’s easy to deal with a moment. There’s no way to
overwhelm yourself and to ask all those crazy questions that may not have an
answer anyway. We just do the best we can in any given moment and live in
our hearts with integrity and honesty. We learn how to listen and how to
love. All the rest will come easily and with serenity.
|
|
