Making Progress, or Beyond Hope?

  "Change is not always growth,
 just as movement is not always progress.” anon

I couldn't resist taking this photo, right outside of a tiny little town, which isn't even a speck on the map; Hope, AZ.  It reminded me of some of the responses I have received from those of you who are struggling with this notion of passion; what yours is...what it really even means....and yes...even feeling beyond hope in making progress toward living your ideal life.  Perhaps today's blog will help.

 

Last week we talked about the importance of action.  We can dream the dream, and fantasize about our ideal life, but until we step up, move, take action, and make progress, we stay where we’ve always been.  That’s why creating markers to show us clues that we are moving towards our passion and making progress are so important. 

Do you remember the formula I shared with you, created by Bill Levacy, for creating the life you choose to live?

Intention ----- Attention ----- No Tension----

Let’s just review:  ‘Intention’ is our passion/s, ‘Attention’ are the decisions and the actions we take in order to make progress towards our ideal life.  And finally, and the one we’ll be talking about today is ‘No Stress”.

When we begin making those decisions toward are passions, and take those opportunities that will be laid out in front of us, we need to do it from the position of ‘No Stress’.  Because when we are acting from that state…no tension/no stress….then that produces powerful results.  As our life becomes more aligned with our passion, then we should physically feel it!

We learn in the book The Passion Test a phenomenon expressed about nature’s guidance system.  It’s an internal monitor that our authors tell us, if we pay attention to it, will indicate how we’re doing in the passion journey. It measures two things: ‘expansion’ and ‘contraction’.  As we make decisions towards our passions we will start to feel energized.  As we take action we may feel elation, joy, connection, satisfaction, motivation, …..that’s the expansion. You can actually physically feel your body and mind opening up.  Notice the posture and voice of a person that has a life that’s on-fire.  Notice yourself when you talk about your passion, how your heart beats in excited anticipation, you sit up taller, walk faster,  your voice and gestures become more animated and you even breath deeper .  That’s exciting evidence that we are making progress, and are moving towards our target....our passion/s.

But sometimes it seems the decisions are difficult, the actions steps seem so hard, and the harder we work to make things happen, the more exasperated we become.  We take one step forward and three back.  Although we're busy and moving, we don't seem to be making progress. Barriers continue to pop up in our lives, we get sidelined on the journey and we become anxious, angry, irritable, tired, depressed and tense.  That’s ‘contraction’ and we can physically feel this as well.  Our shoulders begin to droop, our smile has turned down, our backs become more bent over; we take slower steps, our body feels tired and our voice becomes more monotone. That’s a message to us that it's time to take a break, step back, relax, and re-evaluate.  

A number of years ago I was given the opportunity, at the college where I teach, to become an administrator.  When I first heard I was being considered for the position, I was so honored.  Here was this ‘stay at home mom, turned college teacher', being told she had administrative potential.  It not only meant elevated status and respect, but a huge pay hike in my check …..And it was coming at a time when we were financing our kids’ college!  So, I applied for the position and got it!

It wasn’t long before I felt the stress beginning to take over my body in a way I had never before experienced.  I would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold-sweat, with a racing heart, and panic flowing through my veins. I was short with my kids, and down-right bitchy to my husband. What an example of contraction! After a few months of working in the job, I started breaking out in hives and was in and out of Dr.'s offices trying to find  some relief.  Finally, I found a combination of perscribed pills that would get rid of the itching and the hives, but I was soon popping them in my mouth at increasingly shorter intervals.  People around me saw it as a joke, and just ‘a day in the life’ in this position.  They would then relay to me their own ‘stressed out’ stories and encourage me to hang in there.  I wondered, Was this progress? 

I didn’t know then, what I know now….. if we are aligning our lives with our passions…. We should feel expansion....not contraction!  We should be filled with energy, enthusiasm, excitement, not in need of drugs to keep us going!  It was a great life lesson in understanding this quote: Change is not always growth, just as movement is not always progress.”

I stayed in the position two long years before I resigned….I was fortunate enough to get my old job back …a job where I feel I am making a difference, a place where I have an awesome oppportunity to motivate others to take responsibility for their lives…. And, does it surprise you that this is one of my passions today?  My hives disappeared within two months of leaving that old job, no more panic attacks, no more stress…smaller paychecks, but ohhhhh so much happier and definitely making progress!

Here's a person who's living a life on fire, Tony Robbins, reminding us to know and to be ourselves, and to keep making progress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2uqfOltqqk

 

Email me, Karen, at: smallsteps4bigresults@yahoo.com