That might seem a strange question to ask yourself but stay with me for a second. I came across this quote this morning and I wanted to share it with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through personal circumstances, over the last couple of years I learnt a lot about staying still and not moving forward – through fear of the unknown, fear of failing or being a?failure?and through the mistaken belief that by freezing, by staying still, by holding on tight to where I was, life could be ok.?You might think this strange for a therapist, but we are all a work in progress on our journey through life, and sometimes it really can be much easier to help others than to see things clearly about ourselves and our lives.

However around the middle of 2012 something big occurred to me. I started to think about how life might be positively different if I became brave, and dared to dare and let things change?in some way. How if I took the attitude that you only learn through your mistakes – ?that in fact it’s essential to make them – it frees you up in all sorts of ways. And that if you find yourself in a situation that isn’t working for whatever reason, that’s ok too, you can try something else. ?You can appreciate that it was right for a while but that now it’s time to learn, to grow and to move forward along the path of life. For me that was to be brave enough come out of a relationship that was amazing in many ways, but not in so many more, breaking up a life that on paper looked wonderful, but that under the surface really wasn’t working and was making me unhappy.

So now I’m going to spend 2013 creating a new life and daring to make as many mistakes as possible – putting myself out there in order to grow and become stronger. ?This isn’t exactly a news flash, but it turns out that metaphorically speaking, wading through treacle isn’t a great idea! I know that sounds obvious, but I see so many clients who are doing the same thing in one way or another. A lack of doing, or stagnation, in whatever area of life leads to key emotional needs not being met, creating anger, depression, anxieties and all manner of other problems for you and those around you.

Doing something is always better than doing nothing. It creates a momentum that carries you forward into the unknown, yes, but then we all have control of our thoughts, feelings and actions that can shape the path we go down. We spend each and every day making choices – even if it’s the choice to do nothing, it’s still our choice. ?How much better would it be to choose to be brave, to choose to try, or to choose to learn from our mistakes? For me the answer is lots better, already. Watch this space, the year is just beginning!

I’d love to hear what you think about?the quote and what you might do this year. How might you put yourself out there full in the knowledge that you will make mistakes but that it’s okay as long as you are prepared to learn from them. This might be anything from taking a life changing decision, to learning something new, or perhaps restarting something that previously you had given up on – a sport or a hobby.

If you feel held back, or need support along the way do try a Cognitive Hypnotherapist near you. If you are in the UK just click on the Quest Institute therapist finder website here. You might just be surprised at what a positive difference it can make to the way you can think and feel about life and the?possibilities?around you.