TAKING THE FIRST STEP FORWARD

Most of us are living our lives, just as we always have, in a fairly regular way and generally feeling that life is neither good nor bad. Generally it might be called Coasting. While Coasting, our daily lives are continuing pretty much as they always have. 

Most of us have a routine we have developed which makes it easier for us to get through our day. This routine helps us deal with the expected parts of our day almost automatically. In some cases, it is a sort of Cruise Control.

While on our Coasting/Cruise Control, nothing much out of the ordinary happens. We might even be resigned and thinking 'it is what it is'.

Occasionally however, a problem arises or an unexpected change of schedule is necessary. If an accident or emergency happens, our routine is disrupted and we are forced to drop our routine and respond to this immediately. If it is a relatively small thing, we take it in stride and once the problem is resolved, go on as usual.

When the disruption or change is either more serious or permanent, such as a medical problem or a death in the family, changes are needed to our routine to adapt to our new circumstances. In such cases, we change our routine from reactive to somewhat proactive and as quickly as possible, make room for this longer term change to be incorporated into our daily lives.

We can go on for quite a long time on what I am calling Coasting and comparing to Cruise Control, but I wonder whether we should. 

While there is some comfort and security in a routine, I find that change is not, and does not need to be, either scary or difficult. In fact, if we are to continue growing and developing, it is necessary.

If we admit it to ourselves, each of us has a dream hidden somewhere in our heart and mind. It is a bit like a Wish List. Some of us say, 'if only I had a million dollars' or 'if I won the lottery'. It does not take much thinking along this line to realize that there are things we would like to have or do that we do not yet have or do.

I suggest therefore, that we take even one small item off of our Wish List that we think is doable, and do it. This might seem like a small start, but the success of this, might put a little spark into your life. It could also be a way to ultimately transform our lives to ones that are happier. 

I believe that even the smallest venture out of our routine, can be the beginning of great things. In fact, I think the small step, we consciously decided to make could lead to our actually finding a way to turning our dreams into reality. 

I hope to speak next about taking the first small change and turning it into a jumping off point for making the larger changes that we have put off for a long time, but which we know would improve our lives and make them better.