Stand Up
Remember when you were little and the first thing adult relatives noticed if they hadn’t seen you for awhile was how much you had grown?
Since there were 11 children in my family, someone was always outgrowing their clothes. “You can’t wear that anymore, it’s too small ” was heard quite often.
The question I want to ask you today doesn’t have anything to do with your height, your weight or outgrowing your clothes. It’s more important than that. The question is: Have you outgrown your life?
Are you feeling crowded, irritated and uncomfortable for no apparent reason? Maybe your life is too small.
Does your circle of friends still fit? Do you talk about the same topics repeatedly? Have you become so predictable that your friends can carry on a complete conversation with you and you don’t even have to be there since everyone already knows what you would say?
Are you lacking enthusiasm, have low energy, and haven’t had a creative thought in forever? Maybe your vision for yourself is too small. Do you drag yourself through your days bored to tears but secretly hoping something will happen to make your life more exciting? It may be that your goals and expectations for yourself are too limited.
Do you habitually criticize yourself and carry on a negative internal dialogue about your faults and weaknesses? It could be that the image you hold of yourself needs revamping.
Is it time to update your life and add more color, variety, style and zest to your emotional wardrobe?
Have you allowed someone else to pick out your life for you? Are you dressed up in a lifestyle that is not really to your taste? Have you been wearing hand-me-downs? Are you acting on worn out concepts and beliefs that have been passed down in your family for generations? Are you following rules and regulations that are old, tired and worn out? Are you waiting for ‘some-a-day’ to come? Some day when you will magically make big life changes?
Imagine that you decide to make major changes in your wardrobe. Could you afford or would you even want to get rid of everything in your closet all at once and then take on the job of replacing everything? Most of us would answer in the negative because it would require too much change and letting go.
It is the same with our lives. Change works best when it is executed in small, thoughtful increments.
Pick something that interests you. Try it on. See if it’s a fit. How does it feel? Does it have the real possibility of enhancing the quality of your life or is it just the fad of the season?
Take an inventory of your life. Are you stuck in a rut? Are you wearing the same old life experiences every day? Have you become a victim of life? Are you wearing one uniform and playing only one role to the exclusion of everything else?
Do your habits, behaviors and activities enhance your life or do they diminish your zest for living? Are you an energy gain to be around or an energy drain? Do you contribute to and enhance the lives around you or do you suck the life force out of your friends and family?
If you find your answers to these questions less than appealing, take heart. Instead of feeling disappointed by your life, begin to take a stand.
It is our birthright and responsibility to make personal life choices. We are seldom really victims. More than likely, we’ve simply allowed mediocrity to take hold. Today is the perfect time to stop volunteering to continue a life of playing small. Pinpoint one change you would like to make and do it.
Let yourself change at your own pace, and before you know it, you will be creating your life more to your present tastes and liking.
In fact, with a little effort, you could be downright stylin’.
Susan is a communications consultant and author of “Beyond Intellect: Journey Into the Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind.” Connect with her at: susanvelasquez.com
