Are you ready for change?

Is your answer: “Always”; “Depends how uncomfortable I’m going to feel”; or is it “No thanks, I’m comfy where I am”?

What if I asked you if you were ready for growth?

Do you think it’s your job as a human being to try to be the best you can be and to evolve in the lifetime you have? If so, then you may be more ready for change than you think.

Growth and change go hand in hand. Growth requires you to manage some sort of change, and change managed well results in healthy growth.

The first “In the chair” post begins with the fundamentals for making the most of growth opportunities. Most in this context meaning what is relative to you, not the expectations and standards of others. The aim is to become the being you are happy being.

This usually requires time, and an ability to adapt and adjust to the challenges and curve-balls life throws at you along the way.

At the risk of oversimplifying what is a life-long task I have identified 5 steps to making the most of growth opportunities. I will expand on each of them via these posts over the coming months.

Step 1: READINESS

Make the commitment. It’s that simple and that complicated. Personal growth requires “will power”, not “won’t power”. It is a courageous choice.

Step 2: SELF-AWARENESS

Self-awareness begins with the ability to notice yourself in the moment AND to not judge yourself too harshly. I say that because it is important to have an awareness of your whole self, not just the bits you don’t like – a skill I wish I had learnt at a much younger age.

There are several ways to increase your self-awareness but Swadhyaya is the first and most important.

Swadhy who?

Swadhyaya is Sanskrit for “to see clearly one’s own nature”, or “self-study”. It involves the study and understanding of one’s true self and comes from the ancient Hindu sages, the Rishis.

Swadhyaya is the ability to notice what is happening both in your body and in your mind at any given moment, in any situation. The more you practice, the quicker you notice, and eventually you become more able to manage your response in a grounded, authentic way.

Be the observer of yourself. Notice the discomfort as well as the comfort. Notice the physical and emotional responses in your body, and what your self-talk is saying. Be curious and suspend harsh judgment.

Once you become skilled, you start to notice patterns and connections between certain situations and your gut reactions. Then you are in a position to choose how you respond and move beyond being a slave to your primal reaction.

Be kind to yourself as you explore and self-study. The answers will come. Notice the tough stuff but also remember to notice the joy and success. (Joy and success is what you want to create more of, so get to know its causes.) Be patient, but challenge yourself at the same time!

That’s enough for this post, but I will share more about the three remaining fundamentals for making the most of growth opportunities – Letting Go, Choice and Integration in the following posts.

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Swollen with Pride

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5 Steps to Personal Growth