When I was a young(er) woman, I didn't give a lot of thought to creating change in my life. It's unfortuante too, because, whether from fear, immaturity, or just laziness, I let life happen to me far too often in those years, content to sit back in my pleasant existence waiting for new experiences to come to me. As I surf through my blogroll, reading the thoughts and dreams of so many other women, I'm struck by the scores of "30-something" women who are actively pursing their dreams, making huge, conscious choices to effect major change in their lives. My son and daughter in law are like that, and I marvel at the way they think about and discuss their life plans, putting things into motion to make their dreams come true.
But when I think about making life changes, I feel all adrift, completely out of my element, confused, not knowing where to start. I've read about "vision boards," collages of pictures, words, or artifacts that express meaningful ideas about life and what you would like it to be. Perhaps in putting together my own vision board, ideas about change would become clearer.
Because (contrary to the way I was brought up to think) change can be a good thing. It can mean new opportunities, revelations in ourselves and our relationships. And yes, I suppose those are scary. But the scarier thing to me right now is how stagnant my life seems. I feel the urge to create change this time around, and not rest comfortably in my easy chair waiting for the universe to move.
Earlier today, I came across this quote from a book called Ask and It is Given:
"You ask through your attention, through your wanting, through your desire--that is the asking (whether you desire it to happen, or if you desire it not to happen, you are asking...). You do not have to use your words. You just have to feel it in your being: I desire this. I adore this. I appreciate this, and so on. That desire is the beginning of all action."
What a powerful thought, that the universe can be energized to move by the power of desire. Practicing this concept in life would certainly be courting change, wouldn't it?
"Things that seem too good to be true, usually are," my mother always told me. And parts of this credo certainly seem idealized. By focusing thoughts and mental energy toward my most desirable dreams, could I have the power to steer life in the direction I (and it) need to move, creating changes that are meaningful and lasting?
I don't mind telling you, my heart flutters with excitment at the thought. All those caterpillar dreams hanging from the cobwebs in my mind suddenly have an opportunity to become butterflies.
It's a lot to think about on a Monday, but a worthy entry into the encyclopedia of me.