BLAZE YOUR OWN TRAIL: 5 Steps Forward

My dear friend recently told me to “blaze my own trail.”  I had to think about that. What a concept, right?! I thought this was really appropriate in a first month of the year when so many people look outside of themselves to better themselves. Weight loss, smoking cessation, quitting drinking, meeting a boyfriend/girlfriend, changing jobs, the list goes on.​

So what if we chose to look inward, to get quiet, hit the pause button in our minds, and listened in to what we really need vs. what we want? You may surprise yourself. What you think you need may not be so.  What if we chose, again, rather than waited, to blaze our own trail?
The recent #Metoo and #TimesUp movement also comes to mind with this phrase. What can you just not tolerate anymore in your own life? Where is it time to take ahold of the reins and do it yourself??

It’s time, more than anything, to get quiet. Sit down, close your eyes, and meditate, even for 5 minutes. See how your mind entertains you and continually come back to your breath rather than hanging on to any one thought. Eventually you may feel something in your gut, or hear a word/or phrase that pierces through the chatter. Listen in, tune in to yourself. What is it?
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It’s hard I know, But this is where the work really begins. This is where, you put yourself first and foremost in the spotlight. PAY ATTENTION. Honor what is working for you in your life, and what simply needs to be let go of. How about not following the same path and stepping away from that path, to make your own trail?
Here's one way to start blazing your own trail:

1. Make a decision to change and commit to it. Gain courage. You may not feel confidence, but this will evolve with courage. Feel your passion for it. Allow it to be.
2. Model it. Even if you don’t feel it, do it anyway. Take that first step to alter the same habits/behaviors for a day, and then the next day and then the next….
3. Haters and Enviers may show up. They often do to - whether in the forms of people, thoughts of failure, and situations that may not contribute to your success. Focus on the end goal rather than the short term.
4. Welcome in and embrace self-compassion. You will need it. Again and again, and the change is to feel it yourself rather than seeking it outside of yourself. The change comes from feeling it, not just doing it. Love you and who you already are, and what you have already accomplished.
5. Trust. Feel. Have faith. Breathe in and breathe out. Repeat. 

Blessings on this new year. Accept what is, accept what you cannot change. And have courage to change what you can. Do you know the difference?
-Gillian

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