When you look back on the past year, it's easy to think of the pain you felt. What if you could instead think of the strength you gained, and appreciate how far you’ve come? You’ve been through a lot, but you’ve grown a lot too. Give yourself credit for your resilience, and then step forward again, with grace.
The next best step forward?
Take more chances on the very real and accessible opportunities you have today. Try doing something uncomfortable, (outside your comfort zone), that will move your life forward. Life is very much about trusting ourselves and taking chances, losing and finding happiness, learning from experience, appreciating the journey, and realizing that every step is worth it, the gains and the losses. However, we must be WILLING to take each step. We have to give ourselves a fair chance. Because in the end, more than anything else, we regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were too busy to nurture, the big opportunity we procrastinated on, the friend or family member we never called, those important words left unspoken, and the decisions we waited too long to make.
But why do we do these things to ourselves?
There is a common weaknesses of the inner mind—a weakness that encourages us to avoid discomfort. Discomfort is a form of pain, but it isn’t a deep pain—it’s a very shallow one. It’s that feeling you get when you’ve stepped outside of your comfort zone. The idea of exercising every morning, for example, brings discomfort—so we don’t do it. Eating green vegetables brings discomfort too. So does meditating, or focusing on a difficult task, or saying no to others. The problem with this is that by running from discomfort, we are forced to participate in only the (easy) activities and (unexciting) opportunities within our comfort zones. And since our comfort zones are relativity small, we miss out on most of life’s greatest and healthiest experiences, and we get stuck in a debilitating cycle that often leads to regret.
Lets turn things around in 2018!!
Are you tired of dealing with the same types of headaches and heartache over and over again? Then it’s time to break the cycle, purge some bad habits, and embrace discomfort as you prepare for the year ahead. It’s time to learn from your mistakes rather than be conquered by them, and let your errors be of commission rather than omission.
Remember, you ultimately become what you repeatedly do. If your habits aren’t helping you, they’re hurting you. Which means it’s time for a change. Life's richness comes from venturing out, away from the familiar, growing stronger and more capable. We can hold to our core values while at the same time opening our heart and mind to new ideas, feelings and experiences. Your own perspective will become clearer when you look at things from different angles.
Sometimes life's best lessons are learned at the worst times, If we can lose the expectation that everything in life should be easier, that there are rarely shortcuts to any place worth going, then its more likely we can enjoy the challenge of our achievements. If we can see the value in our efforts then we can be patient with ourselves. Patience is not just about waiting, it’s the ability to keep a good and positive attitude while working hard on our important goals. It’s knowing deep down that doing the hard things is worth it. Why? Because those are the things that ultimately define us. Those are the things that make the difference between existing and living—between knowing the path and walking the path—between a life of mediocrity and a life filled with progress and fulfillment.
For me, I'm taking an expansive step forward this year professionally to expand my teaching and offerings further. Pangu Yoga workshops will each have a unique theme, I've created a new Restorative Yoga & Essential Oils & Energy Healing class (being offered on Valentines Day) and Raleigh friends I'm returning to Bliss Body Yoga this year to teach workshops again! Please check out all the upcoming events below!
May you love yourself first and foremost every day, instead of simply loving the idea of other people loving you. Your needs matter. Start meeting them. Don’t wait on others to choose you—choose yourself! And remember that once your needs are met, you will be better equipped and capable of meeting the needs of those few people who matter most to you.
Namaste,
Anisha