Taking the first step is the hardest because it’s the scariest.
Fear of taking the first step holds us back from making change in our lives and from moving forward. Change requires action but fear, doubt and stress are barriers we find difficult to overcome. My story with Sophrology is one such story of change which started by taking a first step. That first step was to stop and listen!
My story is one of a working mum, living abroad far from my own family and natural support structure, juggling my role as a mum and work commitments, prepping dinner while writing emails, planning work meetings while overseeing homework, running for the metro while taking time to give a reassuring last hug at the school gate and all the time trying to leave time for my husband … many of you will be familiar with this part of the story. I often felt pulled in a hundred different directions. I was constantly running, seeking perfection and struggling to see the purpose in it all. I was tired, overstretched and stressed out but familiarity and routine had a strong hold on me. I was afraid to admit that I needed to change things in my life. I was afraid to stop juggling and to let the balls fall.
The first step for me was to call a halt to the racing and to admit that I needed help. On the birth of my third child I decided to put my then teaching career on hold for three years and to devote my time to taking care of our three children. This is only the beginning of the story but the trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home Mum is a chapter I will leave for another day’s blog entry. Suffice to say that I spent much of that time questioning and at times agonising over what I was going to do the day my son would head off to join his peers with pens and pencil cases and once again I would have to return to work.
So what happened in that time? The answer is in a way simple, I took the time to listen to me. In the beginning all I could hear was silence, but then my body and mind started to shout and protest. At times I felt I would fall apart. I persisted with the listening and slowly but surely I began to hear what my body was telling me and to recognise its signals. At first the signals were soft as whispers but as I grew in confidence I could hear them more clearly. I learnt to take the time to relax and focus and to connect with my inner resources. By the time I was putting a school-bag on my sons back the answer was clear. Qualifying as a sophrologist was a big step for me but it was that important, scary first step of putting on the breaks that lead me here.
What are the steps you need to take to make positive change in your life? Are you afraid to take that first step or perhaps you are not sure what the steps are? Learning to take the time out to listen to you, to find calm, balance and focus are essential tools on the road to positive change.
Take that first step and give me a call.
Pamela Boutin-Bird, Sophrologist