What Propels You Forward?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 9:10AM 
When thinking about next steps, it occurred to me that a key ingredient to moving ahead involves letting go. “Next” can mean taking an action or changing our thoughts. Either way, that involves the willingness and ability to move beyond or possibly release what came before.
Another aspect of taking that next step involves growth. The transition between winter’s end and spring’s beginning underscores this idea. It’s been quite the winter with many snowstorms. The mounds of snow slowly melted as the rain and warmth appeared. The dark brown earth is now visible with bits of green starting to arrive. As I walked outside this morning, the air smelled sweet.
Those first few months of the year, I took time to think about setting goals, starting over and embracing the change that I desired. These ideas were set into motion and matched with specific actions and next steps. Some of those included beginning a coaching skills class, working on a logo and website redesign, refining my social media marketing, attending several conferences and making more time to play and see friends.
In taking my next steps, I was willing to let go of fear, of the familiar and of my comfort zone. Moving ahead doesn’t mean that a single action is the end. On the contrary, accomplishing any goal involves many individual steps done one after the next. I’m in the midst of the journey. I’m evolving and growing like the blooms of spring. The plans are in place and the actions are in motion. The movement is forward. I am filled with feelings of hope that spring always brings.
What is next for you? What is propelling you forward?
Linda Samuels, CPO-CD
® is a compassionate, enthusiastic professional organizer, author & blogger who facilitates change in others' lives. She lives with her husband and daughters in a small, colorful home with a purple front door.
Reader Comments (2)
Letting go of fear is one of the most important aspects of moving forward. Fear of appearing foolish, fear of doing something incorrectly or not well enough or even fear of success! Thanks for creating this awareness for us.
Ellen- I love your clarification of the various types of fear we hold. Fear is powerful whether it's fear of something negative or positive. But as you said, to move forward, we often have to allow ourselves to let go of our fears and forge ahead anyway. Thank you for joining in the conversation.