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How do you Step out of your Comfort Zone when it all feels too scary?

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How do you Step out of your Comfort Zone when it all feels too scary? When the very thought of change terrifies you and the unknown is too unpredictable? How do you make changes to your life when it all feels too hard?

We are mostly creatures of comfort and like our lives to feel safe and predictable. We like the ‘known’ and we like the certainty that it brings. Many of us stay in the same jobs, the same homes, the same locations and the same relationships, because it is all we know. We feel safe and we feel assured of what each day will bring. We tend to like more of the ‘same.’

But what if we start to feel that our lives are limited? What if we suddenly realised one day, that there was more to life? What if we decided that comfort isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, that adventure and possibility lie over the horizon? What do we do then?

We take steps to bring about change! Most of us have heard of a bucket list, of places that we want to visit during our lifetime. But what if we had a ‘dreams list’ as well? On this list you could write down all the things that you would like to do one day. Then start looking at what is possible and where you can start.

Maybe you want to learn to dance or begin a new language? There are many courses around. Community centres and the Council of Adult Education often have short courses so you can try them out, before committing to something more long term. Have you always wanted to write a book, but don’t know where to start? The Australian Writers’ Centre has courses to get your imagination flowing.

Whatever you choose to do, there are ways to achieve your dreams. Perhaps you could start planning for that solo trip that has always interested you or start increasing your fitness for that mountain trail you want to conquer. The possibilities are endless.

How do you step out of your Comfort Zone when it all feels too scary? Stop listening to that mindless chatter. Our minds are very good at convincing ourselves that our dreams are just that – dreams – and they will never achieve fruition. We convince ourselves that we are too old, or too unfit, or don’t have the experience or the knowledge to do something new. ‘It will never work out. It will be a waste of time and energy and I will fail. I should just be happy with what I have.’ The stories are endless.

But what if your new venture was a resounding success? What if you discovered a new soul mate or a new career or a new passion? Wouldn’t it have been worth it? I have mentioned before that I have written a book and it will be released in late March. I have loved the writing process, but have no idea how it will be received. Hopefully some people will love it and perhaps some will hate it, but that’s okay. I wrote it for myself because it was a passion of mine. I wrote it because it was one of my dreams.

Have I opened myself up to judgment and criticism? Yes possibly and that does scare me. But I want my life to be meaningful and that means taking risks. Staying safe and hidden means staying the same and depriving yourself of life and all its’ opportunities.

By taking risks and stepping out of our comfort zones, we learn to grow. I left nursing to study Reflexology. It was a huge gamble to leave a steady job and begin my own business, but I was unhappy and needed to find fulfilment somewhere else. I have travelled to a lot of different countries, never quite knowing what I would find, but it has always been worth the effort. I began garden photography to sell to magazines, which was at times a scary experience. Chatting to knowledgeable editors was definitely out of my comfort zone.

Not every task I have undertaken has been a resounding success but that doesn’t stop me from trying something new. Making mistakes means I learn and a part of me grows. How do you step out of your comfort zone when it all feels too scary? You start to plan and then start to take action. Believe in yourself for you are capable of amazing things. We just don’t credit ourselves enough for all our accomplishments.

Begin to live a life of your choosing, not someone else’s. So many of us are brought up to put everyone else first. We listen to their needs instead of our own and we put our own desires on hold. “Others need me now, others are more important, others need to take priority,” we tell ourselves.

Well guess what? We need to put ourselves at the top of our ‘to-do’ lists. It’s only when we feel happy, healthy and fulfilled, that we can give to others from a place of love and kindness, not obligation. So start listening to your heart’s desires. Allow yourself to feel vulnerable and expect some resistance from yourself and others. That’s okay. Your ego is protecting you from it’s own insecurities and your family and friends are just expressing their own fears and anxieties.

Take that risk, dream your dreams and take action on them. Then start living this one amazing, glorious life!

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: Photo by Nathan McBride on Unsplash

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.

How do you greet the coming Year?

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How do you greet the coming Year? Do you welcome it with joy and excitement, or fear and anxiety, or perhaps a little trepidation? Maybe it’s just another date in the calendar and doesn’t hold much meaning for you, or feels like just more of the same?

I greet each New Year with Hope and anticipation. I have no idea how the year will unfold, but I have plans that I want to instigate and dreams around things that I want to achieve. I also have hope that it will be a good year. A year filled with health and happiness, time with family and friends and time with my Reflexology clients.

Over the past two years, I have written a book which I am self-publishing. It will be available late March and it’s one of the dreams that I want to make into reality. Creativity is a passion of mine that I have only recently rekindled. So this year I hope to make it a huge part of my life.

I have not made New Year resolutions for some time now as they always felt a bit forced and hollow and made just for the sake of it. I now choose a word each year on how I would like my year to unfold. I must admit, it doesn’t always work, but it provides a guiding light for my plans and ambitions.

This year I chose the word, ‘Release’ because there’s a lot of things I want to let go of. Release of fear and anxiety about the unknown, release of others expectations, release of feelings of ‘not doing enough’ or ‘not being enough,’ release of doing things because I ‘should’ and release of things that I cannot control. I want to allow more acceptance into my life, of events and people who bring me joy.

How do you greet the coming year? Do you keep doing what you have always been doing or do you want to make changes? If you are happy and contented, that’s great, but if not, what can you do differently? I believe we all have opportunities for growth. None of us are infallible. We are humans with all the wonder and frailties that come with being human. We create and we make mistakes and that’s how we grow.

What can you do differently this year? What do you dream about and want to achieve? Write down your plans as this makes them seem more real. Then take action. Having lovely lists is a start, but we need to take action on them if we want to achieve our goals and dreams. Perhaps you want to learn a language, or join a gym, or start dancing or painting. Perhaps you want to write a book or start a new career. The possibilities are endless.

Do your research then book into a class or make that phone call. Nothing is set in stone, so if it doesn’t work out, you can always leave. Be open to the potential of finding something that fuels your Soul. Yes change can be scary and most of us don’t like to leave our comfort zones, however as Garrett Gravensen wrote, “Life happens outside your comfort zone.”

How do you greet the coming year? I hope it’s with plans and dreams around bringing more happiness, great health and contentment into your life. Remember unless you believe in reincarnation, we only have one life, so make it an exciting, glorious, creative and fulfilling one.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year.

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: “10 seconds of insane courage” by Garrett Gravensen.

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.

Do you have an Impossible Dream? I hope so.

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Do you have an Impossible dream? I really hope you do. So many of our dreams start out as something that we wish would happen, but believe to be impossible. We may dream about changing careers or moving interstate or overseas. We may dream of living by the seaside or starring in a musical. We may dream of writing a best selling novel or painting a piece of art that hangs in a gallery. These dreams may feel exciting but at the same time, unachievable.

Why do I hope you have an impossible dream? Because I really believe that if a dream exists, in whatever form, you have birthed an idea to make a change somewhere in your life. It may appear far-fetched and perhaps unattainable at first, but dreams give us a gateway to the life we want to create. We all have ideas around how we want to live our life. We plan our jobs and careers, where we want to live, what things we do for pleasure. They don’t always turn out as we planned, but they give us anchors or starting points.

Unless you believe in reincarnation, we all have one life. Don’t you want to make this one life as meaningful and enjoyable as you can? Having dreams help you achieve this and although at first some dreams may appear just that, they can become reality if you take action. Dreams give you a direction in life. They empower you to find your purpose. They inspire you to challenge yourself and in doing so, they help to inspire others to do the same.

What has this do with Reflexology you may ask? Not a lot, except that becoming a Reflexologist was a dream of mine. I had been nursing for many years and needed a change. I had always been interested in complementary therapies, but changing careers after so many years in nursing, felt impossible. However once I decided I had to take some steps, the opportunities opened up for me. While living in the UK, a friend recommended reflexology for a health complaint. I tried it out many times, loved it and found it to be very beneficial. My dream of changing careers was taking shape. Once back in Australia, I contacted various reflexologists and followed their recommendations as to where I could study. I kept on nursing initially, but studied part time and my dream became reality.

What may seem impossible, very often isn’t. If you have the passion, interest and perseverance, so many things can be achieved. Have you always wanted to be a dancer but it seems impossible? Join a local group, start taking lessons and see where it will lead you. Have you always wanted to write a book? Enrol in a course if you so desire, or just start writing down your ideas. I always loved writing as a child but left it to follow other pursuits. During our long lockdowns in Melbourne, I began to write again. The ideas and words just flowed and I have just completed my first book. It has still to be edited and proofread and there’s still a long way to go, but my once impossible dream is taking shape and becoming a reality.

Do you have an impossible dream? I hope you do because it means you are planning how you want to live your life. You are taking back control and not just letting life happen to you. I know that I don’t want to have regrets or feel that I have missed out on things I really want to do. When my Mother was quite elderly, I bought her a beautiful red rose bush that she could see from her bedroom window. One day she wistfully said to me, “I wish I could paint that rose.” I gently said that I could bring her some paints and she could start but she never did. I know that this was just one small thing that she didn’t do, when in life she achieved so much, but so many things are possible if we put our minds and heart into it.

What if you want to paint that rose, or climb that mountain, or walk the Camino Way or cycle around France or even fly to the Moon? Your impossible dream can happen. Make enquiries, study if you need to, plan and then take action. I really hope you have an Impossible dream because if you do and you start to make that dream a reality, you are living your one glorious, amazing life. And isn’t that a life worth living!

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.

New Year, hopes, dreams

How do you Welcome in a New Year?

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New Year, creation, dreams

How do you welcome in a New Year?

Do you see it as just another day, do you celebrate quietly or do you party all night? We all have different ways of acknowledging the year that has passed and the new one just beginning.

Last year was a very challenging year for so many of us. It brought up fears and insecurities, hopes dashed and work circumstances altered. It also brought up unexpected opportunities for us all to slow down and re-evaluate our lives.

A New Year brings with it hope and the opportunity to plan what we would like the unfolding twelve months to look like. Yes there is still uncertainty and a lot is out of our control, but we can still plan and put in place structures and dreams to guide us forwards.

Many make New Year’s resolutions, but these are often forgotten by the time February comes. I, now choose to find a word that describes how I want to feel this year and my word for 2021 is Fearless. To me, this is a Bold word. I am a worrier and fear often presents in my life. My Mother was a worrier too and whether her anxiety had an impact on me or experiences in my life brought this up, I don’t know. I expect, a bit of both and perhaps it’s also part of my nature.

So I’m acknowledging this and seeing it as an opportunity to grow. I am allowing myself to be vulnerable and not play small. I am allowing my creativity to shine and continue spreading my message about the benefits of Reflexology. I am speaking up and sharing my thoughts and creations. Yes this feels scary, but it also feels empowering. As Marianne Williamson said, ” Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. ………Your playing small does not serve the world.”

My Mother was once praised for a painting she did as a child. However, it was an art she never pursued and when she was very old, she said she had wished she had painted a rose. I encouraged her to do it then. It wasn’t too late. But she never did.

Do you have dreams and ideas about what you want to change or bring into your life? A new career, great health, writing a book, creating a sculpture or some unique jewellery, taking up a new sport or hobby? We all have dreams, but how many of them remain just that. We lose focus, ‘life’ takes over and we move on. We never accomplish our dreams.

So how do we get started? I suggest sitting quietly and thinking about what you loved to do as a child, or thinking of something that you would love to explore or bring into your life. Write it down to make it more attainable, then set goals as to how you can bring it into reality.

If it’s great health, then start by looking at your diet and including more healthy foods and exercise into your life. Set up a regime, even if it’s just a walk around the block each day. Start having treatments such as Reflexology to reduce stress and help balance your body. If it’s writing or painting, then put aside some time each week and stick to it. If it’s finding a new career, then sign up for a sample course or taster session to see if it is something that you want to seriously pursue.

Keep a journal or diary and refer to it to keep you on course. Be focused and take action. It’s all very well to have ideas but unless you take action on them, nothing changes. Action doesn’t have to be big or scary. Just one step at a time. That’s all you need to build momentum.

How do you welcome in a New Year? Is it just another day or is it the beginning of something exciting and new? Make each day count. We all have it in us to be ‘powerful beyond measure.’ I know that when I become very old, I don’t want to say, ‘I wish I had painted that Rose’.

Warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: Marianne Williamson, ‘A Return to Love’.

Are you Living your true Potential……………if not why?

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potential, achievement, dreams

Are you living your true Potential? If not, why? Does it even matter to you?

Our potential is our ability to make the most of our gifts and knowledge, so that we can build a better future or happier life. That’s not to say that current circumstances aren’t great, but we all have an innate ability to achieve our dreams and vision. Setting goals in life also boosts our health and wellbeing.

Let me explain.

I studied Nursing after leaving school and worked as a nurse for many years. I eventually became tired of never having enough time to spend with my patients and started to look at other career options. I then studied Reflexology, going on to Facial Reflexology some years later. As I had always been interested in complementary therapies, this seemed a natural move for me. I knew deep down that there was more I wanted to do in my life.

Now I am exploring again. Lockdown in Melbourne has presented me with time to re-evaluate where I am headed. I still love my Reflexology and clinic work with clients, but I also have dreams that I can add to this. I have always loved writing and art, so am looking at adding these into my life. I know that I have Potential to do more.

Do you too, have dreams and visions of achieving more or doing something different in your life? If so, what is holding you back? Marianne Williamson said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.”

Our subconscious minds are brilliant at talking ourselves out of things. “I’m too busy, too tired, have an illness, can’t afford it, I’m not talented, I can’t sing/draw/dance/paint.” We come up with a myriad of excuses as to why we can’t do something. The reality is that we are holding ourselves back because of our past beliefs and experiences. ‘My parents told me I can’t sing, I’m uncoordinated so I can’t dance, I once did a painting and it was terrible.” We fear failure and we fear success. It often feels safer to do nothing.

Once we acknowledge where these thoughts come from, we can accept them and then decide if we really want to follow that vision and live our true Potential. If deep down the answer is a strong Yes, then do whatever it takes to achieve your dreams. You don’t need to know all the steps. Just take one!

Start writing stories that inspire You. Join a class online. If you want to run a marathon, start by shorter runs then build up. If you want to be healthy, start with increasing your water intake and addressing your diet. Taking that first step and doing something you love, boosts your ‘feel-good’ hormones and decreases your stress levels. An added bonus.

We all have the Potential to do more with our lives. Yes it may feel scary as the unknown often is, but just think of how much more enriching your life will be if you step out of your comfort zone. You never know what you might find out about yourself.

There’s a huge world of opportunities just waiting to be discovered. Are you game? Are you living your true potential and realising your dreams? I hope so!

Take care and let me know how you go. I’m off to buy a paintbrush!

Warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: Marianne Williamson “A Return to Love.”

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.