Let's be Open

Do you consider yourself the type of person who is open to trying/doing new or different things? Typically, I would consider myself to be this type of person, but this past week I realized I'm not always as open as I should be. Let me explain. It's easier for me to be open to things others want to do or things that help me avoid what I should be doing (smh). However, I'm not as open to things that require me to leave my comfort zone or be vulnerable. For example, one of my goals is to incorporate healthier eating and exercising habits into my lifestyle so I can release unwanted weight. Doing this requires me to leave my comfort zone of sitting around instead of exercising and eating out instead of preparing meals at home. I haven't consistently been open to leaving my sedentary and eating out comfort zones, so I also haven't been successful with working towards my weight release goals.

Often, believing our dreams to reality will require us to open up to doing things outside of our comfort zones. Let’s talk about a few of these things that will help us.

1. Open to healing. I’m almost certain that all of us can think of at least one thing from our past, something we experienced or something someone said, that gives us pause or actually keeps us from going after one or some of our goals. Whatever the “something” may be, working on healing it would help us with moving forward to get past or through it instead of allowing it to keep us stuck. As with most challenging things, healing takes work. Pause for a moment to recognize at least one area you know that it’s time to work on healing so you it does not continue to weigh you down or hold you back.

2. Open to help. Maybe you’re like me and struggle with this one sometimes. I either don't want to feel like I'm bothering others, or I don’t want to appear weak. Truth moment, there are also times when I don’t want help because it allows me to continue avoiding things I really don’t want to face…but know I should. HELP is not one of the "bad" four-letter words! If you need help with your healing, take the steps necessary to get it from family, friends, or a professional. If you need advice on how to get started, address obstacles, or want to brainstorm some of the ideas that you'd like to explore, talk about it with others that you trust. If you need help with accountability, reach out to those that you know will challenge and help to encourage you. Don’t miss the key ingredients for this one…be open to receiving the help and doing the work.

3. Open to new possibilities. So many of us miss our mark of what we want to accomplish because we aren’t willing to open up to new possibilities. What if our dream job depends on us applying for a new position instead of continuing to stay in the one that’s familiar but unfulfilling? What if the key to our business being successful, or more successful, could be unlocked by us offering a new service, venturing out to new markets, or actually stop talking about what we want to do and start doing? What if the happiness we feel like we’re missing from our lives is being blocked because we aren’t willing to explore new adventures or try new things that help us to learn more about who we are now instead of focusing on our past selves or what we feel like we’re currently lacking? So, what’s at least one thing you will say yes to doing now that requires getting outside of your comfort zone and taking action toward something you desire?

As we begin the new week, let’s be on the lookout for opportunities to be open to healing, help, and new possibilities as we continue on our journey of believing dreams to reality!