Move Theory: Taking the First Step Toward Change

By Diane Coleman

Change is hard. It’s understandable why a lot of people might view change as negative, but it doesn’t always have to be. A huge reason why change is so difficult is because we’re all creatures of habit. Every single one of us would probably choose the familiar over something new and different. Choosing the familiar does make some sense in a way. In the past, on many levels, changing a routine might have been very dangerous. It’s nice for some things to stay familiar to us. Especially the things that make us happy, but what if the familiar is making us miserable? Sometimes we can be so deep in the familiar we don’t even realize how miserable we really are. The good thing is that we’ve all been blessed with intuition, or you can call it that gut feeling.  It nudges at us even when we don’t want to listen. Some people might choose to ignore a feeling that there’s something better out there for them for years, maybe decades. I did. I think for me; it was more because I thought the change I wanted to happen was just too big, so it wasn’t possible to achieve. What I found out is that you have to start somewhere, and once I took the first step toward change things actually began to fall into place.

In my life, the biggest decisions I’ve made so far have been about continuing to move forward despite obstacles. It’s true that sometimes change doesn’t turn out the exact way we plan, but I’d take it any day over where I started. I don’t have any regrets about my decisions, but honestly I’m dealing with the regrets that I do have about taking so long to decide to move toward change. I can’t come up with any other reason for the delay except my fear of the unknown. For a long time, I let uncertainty and doubt drag me down like an anchor on my spirit. Today I thank God that it got to a point where I had to do something. It wasn’t easy of course. The biggest lesson from it all is that I came to realize failure does happen along the way, but failure is not my identity. Movement is my identity.  No matter what, I choose to remain fixed on moving forward. I now realize, for the most part; that failure is just an adjustment to the original plan. I won't ever let what others may see as an end warp my perception of this journey.  I’ve learned that I can always respawn, get up and figure out another route to my blessed life.

For a lot of us, the first step toward change has to do with stepping away from those imaginary boundaries set by childhood. Childhood is a time when adults are usually responsible for our care, and they also have the power to form our beliefs and expectations about life. It doesn’t matter whether the beliefs are right or wrong. What should matter to you, more than anything now, is deciding if that belief system inspires your best, happiest and your most productive life, the life you really want. Now that you’re blessed with the opportunity to be all grown up, you can make the decision to go beyond those childhood limits and bounce right past any part of your reality that makes you miserable. You can now put in the effort to grow, but you have to decide to take your first step. Your thoughts play a huge role in moving you toward achieving your goals. That being said, it’s true that you’ll get from life exactly what you believe you deserve.  For some of us, it’s hard to imagine something bigger. Many of us were raised by a belief system of low expectations making us think that we don’t deserve much. The good news is that belief systems can always be overwritten. You just have to decide and then, once you move, don’t look back.

You’ll need to plan for change.  Especially if it seems way beyond your reach, so write down your goals. Even if the change you want seems so far away from anything you’ve ever known that doesn’t matter now. As long as you know in your heart change will lead to a better life for you and also those in your care. Change is hardly ever like walking a straight path. Sometimes there are false starts. There will likely be detours, so you have to stay disciplined about keeping the destination in mind. You also have to be willing to leave stuff behind. You have to recognize that in order to move through change some behaviors, ideas and even people might need to be let go. It’s your call, but if you’re not willing to do the sifting, then you’re not really ready to take that first step. That’s just the way life is. You can’t take everybody with you on your journey. After all, it is your journey. Start by being honest when you’re pinpointing unnecessary distractions from the change you want. Opportunities and people to help you through the process can only arrive if you take the first step toward removing the things blocking your path. You have to be ready and willing to grow because without growth, you won’t be able to move forward.

If you’re reading this and it makes sense to you, there may be signs in your life calling you to move. Yes, God is trying to tell you something. It’s been my experience that being disobedient to that inner voice will make you more and more miserable as the days go by. I learned that all I needed to do was let go. Once I grew strong in my faith, I believed, in my heart, that it would work out. I just needed to let go of the outcome and step out on faith. Now making a move toward change is like standing at the tip of the threshold inside a helicopter at 5000 feet aboveground. I’m all geared up and ready. I’m at that moment where I just can’t turn around. It would be foolish to do so and probably cause regrets for the rest of my life.

All I can do, the only thing I know in my heart to do at that moment is to take that leap. I’ve learned to let go of the uncertainty, to jump and then glide down on a cloud of faith. When we view decisions to change in a positive way, we learn to anticipate change instead of avoiding it. We become more adaptable when it comes to life in general. Moving toward change with high expectations can give meaning and purpose to our lives.

I don’t believe having faith means you’re supposed to sit around and wait for change to happen. I think that movement is very necessary. If you believe that all you need to do is just sit and wait on change without any action on your part, you’re probably letting fear control your decisions.  The power of faith is activated when WE act. You ain’t seen nothing about the power of faith until you MOVE. You won’t know about the greatness waiting for you until you decide to step outside your familiar and comfortable box. When your faith is unwavering, then you’ll know that you have the power to be the change. Our lives are always changing, so why not take some control over how it all turns out? Step out on faith each day. Just jump. Even if you never get to the destination, at least you’ll be much better off than if you remained where you started.

Move Theory is dedicated to the change process because change is what we need today more than ever. It’s about helping others get to their personal next level and then even beyond. We should all stand on the belief that we can do better. No doubt change is difficult, but staying in a place where you’re miserable can be devastating in so many ways. Remaining in a space where you’re not happy, a space where you’re not sharing your gifts, a space where you’re not growing and expanding your territory can damage you mentally, spiritually and physically. The healing can start when you decide to move. Move Theory is about movement toward your best in all these areas of your life. Your best is waiting for you up ahead.

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Because you’ll always be able to look back and reflect on how much you’ve grown, and life is all about the journey.

© 2018 Diane Coleman. No part of this work, written by the author, may be reproduced, reposted for any website, or print publication, without prior permission.

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