Deciding to start your journey towards change and mentally preparing yourself.
Artice – Fear of judgement
Any time you decide to go on a holiday or travel away from home you usually start by making the decision to go. Once you have decided where you want to go, the next step is to mentally prepare yourself with all the things you will need to organise for your journey. You have a conscious (or perhaps unconscious) list of the clothes and toiletries you’ll need to pack. You’ll think about who to ask to collect your mail or look after your pets. You might also have in the back of your mind things like “I must remember to fill the car with fuel”. All these things form part of your journey, although they are all things that happen before you actually leave home. This is the preparation stage.
The same can be said about starting a journey of change.
The very first step in any journey is making the decision to move from where you are to where you want to be. To decide to change your direction and uncover something new.
The next step is mentally preparing yourself. Thinking about and then organising your support team, and setting yourself up for success by reducing or eliminating all the stumbling blocks.
The key to success is momentum. Continuously taking small steps forward. Setting goals is also an important part of success. Without a goal to aim for, you are not very likely to find yourself achieving what you want.
You have probably heard the phrase “Dream big”. When setting your goals, it’s a great idea to dream big and think about what your ideal picture looks like. But what happens if your dreams and goals seem so far out of your reach at the moment? It is easy to lose momentum and just give up. The secret to gaining momentum towards your goals is little steps. Breaking down a large task into smaller more realistic goals, and then celebrating with each smaller goal you successfully reach.
Your journey of change might be a physical one. It might be a journey of weight loss. Or perhaps it is a fitness journey. Perhaps your journey is one of mental, emotional or spiritual change or personal growth.
No matter what your personal goal is, once you have decided that you want to change, it is important to have support and accountability.
There are many different support systems you can lean on. Common ones includes getting support from your family or friends. Having supportive people around you cheering you on and encouraging you to reach your goals means you will be more likely to succeed.
Another great support resource is inside The Metanoia Journey Community, which has like-minded people supporting and encouraging each other on their journey.