As a child, George’s family went on long leisurely drives through the rural areas of the Mid Atlantic states. During these journeys, bridges of all shapes and sizes were crossed. From the hugeness of the George Washington Bridge which connects New York and New Jersey to the subtle, quiet beauty of the back road covered bridges linking one side of the road to another over quietly flowing brook.
Each bridge, no matter how grand or how understated has one very significant element in common. They serve as connectors, from one side to another. To move from one place to another, if there is a brook or a river or a bay or a gorge or some other sort of obstacle, a bridge is one surefire way to get from one side to another.
The blocks which build a strong bridge to an authentic life are both simple and profound. Beginning to create the bridge awakens to possibility for change in your life. It brings forth a new perspective as you put energy into practice, stretching to span over the obstacle. As you build the bridge, you begin to see changes in your life. That which your heart yearns for begins to come into existence. As Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Your bridge is what births that change, for both you AND for the world as well.
All builders need tools, plans and hard hats in order to safely negotiate a project of this magnitude, and you, as the crafter of the rest of your life are no different. So to get this into motion and action, where the growth comes, you can begin the process through embracing the following distinctions on a daily basis until they become ingrained in your daily journey.
Distinction #1. Instead of giving energy to the “I can’ts” shift to “How can I?” In other words, “How can I achieve that?” or “What is the single action I can take to bring me closer to this goal?” or “How can I reach out to someone to mentor me in my quest? When you hear yourself say either through self talk or verbal talk, “I can’t” set an alarm, and re-set it with a powerfully prepared “How can I?” line of questioning. State all your desires in the positives outcomes not the negative you are avoiding.
TOOL: Re-Set Your Self Talk Alarm Clock
Distinction #2. Replace thoughts of fear, scarcity or “Not enough-ness” with love, abundance and worthiness. Again, with diligence, practice and intention, you can program yourself to continually and carefully view your life from the other side of the bridge….the full side. The side that says you are more than enough, there is plenty for all, and there is no room for fear in your life. Check yourself throughout the day again, for debilitating thoughts and conversation. Empower yourself by not choosing to not tolerate it anymore. And then don’t. Ever.
TOOL: Replace, Replace, Replace
Distinction #3. Weave into your belief system that each moment is absolutely right for you at that particular moment. Stand firm in that belief. If you disagree with that premise, ask yourself how come? Then decide to shift your thought towards what within the moment is powerful, purposeful and passionate. Perhaps it is the lesson underneath what is happening that holds these attributes. Perhaps there is something syncronistic happening, and your attention to that matter needs to be completed before you can have more growth. Maybe you need to do some personal “Decluttering” which that particular moment is speaking to you. Finally, you possess the choice to then live your next moment from a place of power, purpose and passion. It is your choice to either embrace that moment that appears less than stellar and embrace the next moment from a different place. Living from this perspective will indeed be life changing.
TOOL: Stand in Power, Purpose and Passion
These tools will take all the knowledge you are gaining intellectually and continue to fortify the bridge building to the other side. They will connect from the side you are on to the side you would prefer to be living on everyday. As your journey continues, the shift will begin to be noticeable in others as well. Eventually it will grow as you build more bridges and expand your vision out.
Because of your commitment, the world will indeed never be the same. To revisit our Gandhi quote, You WILL become the change you wish to see in the world.
Julie Jordan Scott is a Co-Founder of We Coach People Network: a Community for Coaches to Create a Webpresence and Methods for Achieving Coaching Success without Breaking the Bank. Find out more about this new site now: http://www.WeCoachPeople.net Visit her website: http://www.5passions.com
