Is Personal Transformation Really Important?

Fall is here and I find myself spending time unpacking the summer and harvesting all the goodness.  As I sit here on my new patio feeling the breeze and hearing sounds of palm trees swaying over head, I exhale and breathe in.  I recently moved to a new house. August and September have been a whirlwind as I also traveled to New York City and attended a conference.  All the while, I continued to work with clients who were building purpose driven businesses, holding and promoting workshops, looking for love, changing the way they relate to their children and dealing with death, illness and painful relationships.  It’s been busy and I know I’ve been in the flow of life.

I am present and very happy to be right where I am.  I look down and notice that the pads of the cat’s feet perfectly match her new collar.  I pause. I take a breathe and ground into this moment.  I’m grateful to be living this life where I work hard but also take time to notice those little details around me.  Life is indeed a beautiful gift and when we are mindful enough to notice, there is a deep, rich happiness within us that accompanies.

I’ve devoted the past ten years of my life to incorporating practices and rituals that promote the ability to be present.  I made it a priority, set a goal and resisted the urge to do other things that seemed “more important”.  Like everything, change in habit takes time and persistence.  The key is routine and keeping at it.  I’m grateful to be where I am but know that I must continue to make mindfulness a routine.  Even those who practice many hours per day talk of the need for devotion and getting back on the horse when they fall off.

I’m noticing that my summer has had a theme of Movement and Expansion for me.  I feel different and can hardly remember the earlier months of 2017.  It’s like I lived a few years of growth since May.  I’ve transformed to a new version of myself and it’s like the past is another life.  Of course it isn’t but I feel new again, very powerful and ready to share more of my gifts than ever before.

There is a deep knowingness that grows inside you when you begin to reap the rewards of transforming your life.  The process can be long, hard, uncertain and lonely.  For when you decide to transform your life to something greater, almost everything changes as you change.  

Personal transformation is not for the meek.  Health, diets, addresses, friends, activities, work, bank accounts, faith and sometimes life partners change.  We become more interested in learning and expansion than maintaining a status quo.  LIfe moves us.

My ten years of hard work and devotion have paid off.  I share this because those of us on the path of transformation and living a life of purpose often wonder if it’s really making a difference.  I stand as a beacon to assure you that your journey is and will continue to be worth it. You are making a difference.  For when we do our own personal work, we look deeply at the things that hold us back, we name them and move past our pain.  

Taking these steps  not only changes us, but it changes everyone around us.  It changes our children, our friends, and strangers because we are different and they feel it.  They might not be able to identify what they feel but they do.  Our action causes a reaction.  And just like all scientists know there is no action without a corresponding response, we begin to realize this for ourselves.  We see our children mirroring our positive behaviors and our friends and families responding to us differently.  We see them being inspired to grow and change, too.

If you’re wondering how important is it really, to change and grow?  If you ask me, it’s the most important thing there is for you, for everyone you love, for strangers and for the entire globe.  You have gifts to share and it’s difficult to share your authentic self until you feel solidly in your shoes knowing who you are.  Why? Because it’s our nature to feel doubt, unworthiness, and fear.  It’s not just you who feels these, it’s everyone.  It’s part of our life path to address these emotions in order to become a fuller version of our selves.  

The next time you find yourself listening to the news and feeling negative about the state of affairs in the world.  Turn it off and remember that all change happens within.  Start with the knowing that the best thing you can do to change the world is to change yourself.  The time is now and the world needs you.

If  you don’t know where to start, begin with something easy. Start with 5 minutes in silence, notice your breath and without judgement allow your thoughts to come and go.  Take note of your thoughts, the feel of your body, the sounds and smells.  Smile gently and be grateful for your life.

And so it is…

And if you still are wondering why Personal Transformation is important, you think it’s not for you or your skeptical that you have any gifts to share, talk about it.  It just might be that something is blocking your vision and those around you might see you more clearly.