“Three Cs in life: Choices, Chances and Change
You must make a choice to take a chance or life will never change”
Recently I made a major change in my life. It wasn’t made hurriedly. I had a choice. Stay in a city and state that has many great features or move interstate to a totally unfamiliar environment. I made the choice, took a chance and now love the changes. Having always lived in cool or cold weather climates I now live in a sub-tropical climate, closer to family. This move means making new friendships, charting a different course, taking risks and also having masses of trust that this is a worthwhile change.
Each day I marvel at the lushness of vegetation, relish the relative warmth of winter and am discovering a plethora of new adventures and opportunities. Best of all, it feels like I’ve finally found my tribe. It’s so easy to make friends and best of all I feel as though I’ve come home. Taking this gamble is already paying off in ways I’d never imagined possible.
Socrates is quoted as saying, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”. This is what my focus and intention are at the moment, while simultaneously feeling gratitude for whatever else has been experienced previously.
Nevertheless not all choices result in change that feels positive, healthy or uplifting. Since leaving New York in 2013 I’ve moved house seven times. Each time I’ve hoped and trusted that the move was the “right” move, and each time something just felt a tad off. Yet with each move there were accompanying experiences and opportunities for growth and learning – all of which have been profound and truly worthwhile, even though they didn’t always feel that way!
The biggest change of all, however, is my decision to once again immerse myself in the work I love doing and which I’ve neglected somewhat these past five years. Telling myself that it’s good to have a hiatus, to have time to explore other options and possibilities was necessary as the time away has truly shown me where my passion lies. Sometimes making a choice, taking a chance and experiencing change can provide an opportunity for revealing what has been taken for granted or has been overlooked. As yet I’m not sure just how my foray back into doing what I’ve done previously is going to look. Will I work the same way? Or will there be new and different approaches taken? Only time will tell.
As human beings we are capricious. We often focus on what is lacking rather than on what is right in front of us. This tendency provides plentiful opportunity for questioning, reflecting, analysing and understanding. I’ve used the five year hiatus to gain a stronger sense of my own value, to grow spiritually, further hone my skills and to also understand my insignificance in the bigger scheme of things.
Life is precious. Every moment offers opportunity for appreciation, growth, learning and more. Right now, from what I understand my astrology friends are saying, there are a lot of planets in retrograde. When combined with eclipses the cosmic energies don’t necessarily support us in forward movement. What, however, they do is provide an opportunity for inner growth, expansion and exploration.
Who are you? What are you here for? What choices and possibilities are available to you? What changes are desirable? How can you create desired change? And, what chances need to be taken? If you are in any way unhappy or dissatisfied with the way things are going then right now is a really good time to reflect, plan and begin creating the changes you desire. There’s a lot to be said for the well-known statement, “The longest journey begins with the smallest of steps.” Only you can know what you need do in order to continue on this journey called life. It’s up to you to make the most of this journey, to make choices and take the chances that support you emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.
And, remember, there are no right or wrong choices. Every choice offers opportunities for learning and growth in one way or another. Personally I prefer to think of them as ‘detours’, and some are pleasant while others are not so. Make the journey an adventure, view the positive experiences with joy, view the less than positive experiences for what they offer in terms of understanding. But ultimately, live with gratitude knowing you have options along with the power to manifest magnificently.
CONFESSION TIME:
My latest book was released earlier this year, but not published under my name. My publisher insisted that I used a pen name. Some of you may be aware of this fact, others may not. However, I believe in transparency and happily admit that I’ve been blessed with countless weird, wonderful, out of this world experiences. It’s not easy feeling like the misfit, the person who doesn’t fit in, whose world view seems to be at odds with the general consensus. Yet, there are many people like myself who feel this way and if my story in any way helps even one person be true to who they are then I’ll have done my job.
The book is entitled A Square Peg: Conformity Isn’t An Option. Pen name is Gabriella Jaye. Published by Balboa Press and it’s available internationally at all good retail outlets and is also as an eBook. Check out the reviews on www.amazon.com
I also started a blog to support the book’s release – http://asquarepeg.blog – it’s still in its infancy, but hopefully it will also provide a forum for others to share their stories and experiences.