Healing: An Inward Journey – Part Onefeatured

Within the last few years, I’ve been spending a reasonable amount of my time working on myself to help heal certain things within my life. I never cease to be amazed at how much progress I’ve made and how life continues to surprise me. Each time I think I’ve hit a plateau in the healing process, the Universe reminds me that I still have a little bit further to go before I get there. Sometimes the mountain that I’m climbing, which stands in my way, makes me feel like jumping off a cliff would be an easy out. But most of the time I’m humbled by the fact that I have multiple reasons to keep moving forward, if not for myself but also for others.

We’ve all had obstacles that we have had to face in our lives that really stop us in our tracks so that we can reevaluate our priorities. For whatever reason, certain things don’t unfold the way we planned, and they leave us looking around and wondering, ‘What the hell am I supposed to do with this?’ It’s in those frustrating moments where we need to look within ourselves for the answer. Sometimes the Universe stops things as they are, before it gets out of control, so that you can alter your course and go where you’re needed instead. The best way I can explain this would be for you to think about an experience you had that resonates with the following paragraph.

Maybe in your life you wanted something to happen or you wanted something so badly that you put every feeling, thought, emotion and effort into it. Defiantly this was your opportunity to prove to yourself that you were going to obtain your desires (whatever that may be). No matter how much you tried to control the outcome or make adjustments for it, there was always a surprise waiting around every corner, leaving you to juggle the pieces as they cascaded down from the sky. Frustrated and disappointed, you eventually gave up trying to achieve this goal. As time passed by and as if out of nowhere, something unexpected appeared granting your desires and leaving you with more than what you had anticipated.

Life brings us to some unexpected places, where we are faced with the choice to decide what we’re going to do with the time we’ve been given. Sometimes that means turning what you know upside down so you can see a different perspective. Other times it means that you have to work on yourself, do what’s best for you, and try again – only you know what that means for you. In some instances, we have to give up the things we so badly want, so that we can appreciate the gift and magnitude of something better when it comes along. It’s in this appreciation space that I believe we finally begin to understand the reasons behind the why’s and how’s of things. Most importantly it’s in this space that we can finally seek out the peace we need.

Living with intention can be a hard path to walk for anyone, especially when you don’t always have the right tools you need or know where to get them throughout the process. It is a conscious effort to, as they say, ‘stay woke’ to your goals and keep them at the forefront of your mind. As simple as it sounds, I’ve learned to ask for the answers I need because if I don’t ask, I’ll never know. When you are clear about the goals and things you want, then you begin to take inspired action that’s in alignment with your words and personal truths. Your ability to manifest the things you desire happens because your words and your actions match each other, along with the mindset to believe that you will receive what you are seeking.

“First, it is an intention. Then a behavior. Then a habit. Then a practice. Then a second nature. Then it is simply who you are.”

– Brendon Burchard

I’ll admit that it’s easier to go with the flow of life and HOPE that something happens or changes, instead of holding ourselves accountable for actually DOING the work that needs to be done. The trouble with just casually moseying through life is that it doesn’t always bring complete happiness or the things that you want. When you plan to take a trip overseas, you take the necessary steps to get there – you book a flight, save your money, pack your suitcase, show up at the correct boarding gate, etc. You do all of those things to make sure that you have what you need to fly overseas and that when you get there, you execute your plan accordingly. So why wouldn’t you do the same thing with your life?

The benefits of living a life filled with intention far exceeds the anticipated reward. You are choosing, every day, to focus on your goals and to make a conscious effort to achieve them, no matter the cost (within reason). If the goal you identify for yourself is to focus on taking better care of you, then your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual focus is finding ways to love yourself more. If you want to be the next famous comedian, then you cultivate and develop the skills it takes to understand your audience, writing good material for your jokes, and observe others in your field. The desire to change a habit, lifestyle, or behavioral pattern, has to be so strong within yourself that nothing will stop you from learning and building a way to be different.

It is a constant process to not only identify what’s working/what’s not working and continue to build upon those things. That’s why I innately believe that healing occurs when you live intentionally. I aspire to be better than I was yesterday and more loving/mindful of the relationships I build with others. That requires me to know myself inside and out. If I don’t know who I am, what my beliefs are, what I will & will not tolerate, how am I able to be better for myself or for the connections I build with others? It really wouldn’t work out so well.  

When you have a second, think about the things you want to achieve and have in your life. What would it take for you to have them? Is it obtainable and realistic? How would making these changes help you to achieve what you want? All of those questions are important and should help you to identify the beginning steps of what living with intention would mean for you. If you’re interested, check out Healing: An Inward Journey – Part Two to review tips on how to live with intention & how goal setting can help with this.

With Light & Love ♥