Still Kicking

When my Grandfather was recovering from chemo and radiation therapy following his second run-in with Cancer, a measure of his physical condition and well-being was his readiness to retort, "I'm still kicking!" - a tongue-in-cheek way of showing us that he wasn't quite ready to kick the can just yet.  A third battle won and seven years later, I'm happy to report he's "still kicking" and shows no signs of throwing in the towel anytime soon...a resilience and stubbornness that runs through my family, no doubt. 

While I'm no where near kicking the can, I have certainly fallen off the blogosphere as of late and all due to good reason...

Change is in the air and a very serendipitous time indeed to be sharing this very thing with a number of people in my life.  

When I think of change, a few associations come to mind: primarily, excitement and anticipation, with hiccups of fear, hesitation and anxiety along the way. On one hand, it can lift your spirits to envision this new road to adventure. On the other, it summons a lesser self within us, who reminds us of our insecurities, all for the purpose of comfort and stability.  

Battling this lesser self has been quite the challenge, as it should be.  Without the fear, and difficulty that's presented before us, we'd never seek progress or pursue ways to become our best, most capable selves.  It's all about consistency and making baby steps to accept change, and use the fear to fuel our motivation.

There's no secret to muting the "I can't's" and negative self-doubt, as there will be plenty of times when that's all you can think of.  However, finding the right support system, whether in a friend, mentor or loved one, is a great way to stay accountable and on track without spending too much time in the corner of self-pity.  Another tool I find useful is to find daily or weekly "food for thought"; reminders to spark your optimism and re-align your path to success. 

Here's a few to get you started: