The Gap Between: Where you are and where you want to be

In the process of waking up, there are many stages and each has their exciting pieces and the parts that are full of fear.

One of my most feared places during this process is looking at the gap between where I am now, and where I want to be.

If you have dreams, this gap can strike insurmountable fear into any mere mortal!

And yet, the only way to get there is to keep moving forward.

Sometimes I get scared of even looking at there because it feels so far away! But when you don't look and you don't create and you don't focus on there, you end up in the here for longer - or for ever. Which, for me, is unacceptable!

Sometimes the path forward isn't clear. It is during those times that it can feel easier (or you subconsciously) to fall back into what is known and, perceived to be, comfortable.

The gap can be experienced during one of these moments of uncertainty. You metaphorically "look down" and see the void, and it holds your focus just long enough to catch your attention.

And then the spin happens.

"Who am I to do this?" "Who do I think I am?" "That person is way more qualified than I am" "What was I thinking starting this?" "I don't know what I'm doing" "I can't choose the next perfect thing to do so I should just quit"

That spin.

This is your subconscious trying to protect you. It sees the void and it leaps into action to save you from falling!

It throws all the stops at you in its efforts to keep you safe in the known.

The challenge is that you know the known isn't what you want. The known is actually stifling you. The known is what is causing you so much pain and anguish.

So what do you do?

The first step is to become aware of when this happens. Notice when your subconscious starts to make a fuss about the unknown.

The second step is to engage with it. Bring your fear into the conversation. Ask it what it's afraid of.

The third step is to take a closer look at those fears. Your subconscious is throwing those fears at you in an effort to protect you from the unknown, so look at the fears it's bringing up. Are they true? Usually they aren't true, but if they do feel true, you can follow them to their edge do they don't feel as scary - this also helps assess the risk and put plans in place to avoid risk!

The fourth step is to expand into the unknown. It's scary to your unconscious because it doesn't know it (yet). Give yourself the opportunity to 1) imagine what it would be like to be there and 2) look to others who are living your perceived there as inspiration (note: not comparison or judgement).

And the fifth step is to take the next step towards your there! Do what you know to do. And if you don't know what to do, do what feels right for you. It's not about taking the perfect next step, it's about taking a next step.

When you make the unknown known, the clouds lift and you are able to see the path more clearly. The gap between here and there doesn't seem so massive.

Namasté,
~Alannah