Landscape with fork rural roads in forest
Have you ever heard the phrase “If you don’t like what is happening to you, why don’t you just change it?” Easier said than done, don’t you think? The power in this question is that it can elicit a pause from you, a moment in time where you actually wonder if that can be true.
What I do know to be true is that you can shape your future based on the choices you make for yourself. That’s a beautiful thought, isn’t it? Even if you don’t like what is happening now or where you are in your life, you have the opportunity to change it. That’s the power of choice.
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Adjusting to change in your life is hard, particularly when it is thrust upon you or when you have to make change quickly. However, you can embrace it more readily when it is the result of your well-planned choice.
That’s why making a choice is the first step in my CRAVE™ process. I used my CRAVE™ process to make my own transition to my Next Chapter, and I have used it with my clients with great success. So, for you, each letter in the CRAVE™ process represents a step to help you work through designing and creating Your Next Chapter. Here’s how it works:
C – is for CHOOSE – making a choice to put yourself first and to choose to focus on achieving your deepest desire for Your Next Chapter.
R – is for REIMAGINE – reimagining your life when you are living in a way that fits you well.
A – is for ACT – taking action toward achieving your deepest desire and living your ideal life.
V – is for VALIDATE – checking in with yourself to ensure you are on the right track and addressing the obstacles that get in your way
E – is for ENJOY – learning to enjoy your journey along the way and celebrating your accomplishments.
Why are your choices so important? Before you could make choices for yourself, you were the product of the choices your parents made for you. Their choices were designed to create the best life for you based on their experience and their aspirations for you. Once you got older and could make your own choices, you often followed the same pattern of the decisions and choices that were made for you. Did those choices fit you well, or were they a reflection of what others wanted for you?
I can think of no better time than now to begin to challenge the choices you have made in the past. I don’t want you to regret where you are or the choices you have made – that won’t get you anywhere. Simply find and accept the lessons from those choices and move forward with that wisdom.
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What I will ask you to do is to put yourself first. Putting everyone else’s needs above your own is very typical for women. That is a prerequisite for beginning my CRAVE™ process. Taking time for yourself for reflection first and then finding time to take action to achieve what you want will create an environment of success for you.
Think about making choices that are more consistent with your personal core values – choices that feel very authentic and fit you like a glove. Don’t confuse discomfort with what doesn’t feel like a fit. When you begin to make change, you will more than likely experience some discomfort – that is part of your process. Stay true to who you are in your choices, and the discomfort will be temporary – I promise!
Take a moment to think about these items:
1) Can you take action, even a small one, to put yourself first today? Can you focus on what you need or would like to do? Oh yes – can you also let go of the guilt associated with focusing on yourself?
2) If you could make any choice for designing and creating Your Next Chapter, what would it be?
If this Your Next Chapter blog series is piquing your interest, you will love my new eBook called Your Next Chapter: Five Steps to Creating the Life of Your Dreams. I wrote it with you in mind – someone who wants to explore what their future holds for them in their n
ext Life Chapter. You can find it at www.YourNextChapterBook.com. I walk you through my five-step CRAVE™ process to guide you to explore, design, and create Your Next Chapter in a way that is authentic for you.
If you are interested in learning more, you can download a free chapter of my book. In this download, I give you a glimpse of my authentic self – the one that has bolstered my own strength. You can download a copy using the form below.