Outside the box

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." -Andre Gide


It's funny how little things in life can cause you to contemplate much larger ideas.  I was in the checkout line at the supermarket the other day.  I reached to get some mints and realized they had the brand I like, but not the flavor.  I needed the mints (no one wants a massage therapist with bad breath!) so I bought the flavor they had.    When I opened them later, I discovered that this other flavor was quite good and wondered why I hadn't ever tried it before.  My realization was that I was stuck in a habit pattern.  As trivial as it may sound, I have always bought the same two brands of mint in the same flavor for at least the past five years.  That made me start to wonder what other habit patterns have I formed in my life without even realizing it.

I'm proud to say that this past year has been a reawakening for me.  I feel like I snapped back into reality and have been able to put the pieces of Keryn back together again.  Places, people, and events have all helped me do so.  However, though all this change has been happening I haven't been completely aware of it until now.  I know it has been a transforming year, but looking back on it I realize I was truly breaking away from the little security wall I had built for myself over the past decade.  Without realizing it, I was reversing very big habit patterns in my life.  Now is the time for me to refocus and be mindful of my actions and be proud of what I have accomplished and what I am doing.  The things I don't like in my life I have the power to change as long as I can be aware of them.

There are many people in my life who right at this very moment are stepping outside of their boxes.  They are taking risks and changing their lives for the better.  They realized that they needed to break free from the patterns of their everyday life that were bringing them down.  Two of these people are very good friends of mine: Andrea and Megan.

Andrea has begun her schooling to become a massage therapist!  After realizing she needed to make a big change in her life to be happy, she took this risk and is now enrolled at Bancroft!  She had her first class on Saturday.  I am so proud and excited for her.  It is a big leap to consider a career change, and a lot of courage to step up and follow your heart.  I think we have always known that this would be a good career for her and who knows where this journey will lead?

Megan knew she needed to make a change to be happy.  She quit her job and is now traveling around the country-something she has been wanting to do.  What courage!  I admire her and am excited for the adventures she will have.  When she returns she will definitely have a new perspective on life and be refocused on what she wants to accomplish and how.

Everyday we have the opportunity to try something different.  Whether it be a trying a new flavor of breath mint, or joining a new group, we can step outside of the box and away from the habit patterns that have formed in our lives.  I believe it is healthy to have routine and discipline, but I also think it is important to try new things and to challenge yourself as much as you can.  I think we settle in to our daily lives and schedules and we forget to be mindful of ourselves.

 Whatever we don't like about ourselves or our lives we have the power to change.  We are not helpless.  All it takes is a change of mindset and the ability to believe in ourselves.  We can overcome whatever anxiety is weighing us down.  We can fight that negative little voice we hear saying, "no you can't!"  We can be the change.  All it takes is one little step outside the box.  Let's try it and see what we discover.