One of the biggest challenges a person can face during the course of their life is the beginning of a new journey. Change is inevitable, but that fact does not make it easier to deal with. Starting something new can be a stressful and difficult time for anyone, especially if the outcome is unknown. However, we must accept that new journeys can be the perfect opportunity to shake off the old and give ourselves a second chance.
One step leads to a million experiences, photo by Tim Green
You might be wondering where I am going with this, and that is part of the uncertainties of life. Not knowing where things will lead can add pressure and stress, and learning to let go of those feelings and how to “go with the flow” is not an easy task.
When you start a new book, or play a new movie, you don’t know if you will enjoy it or not, you being to judge right away and make mental notes on whether you are enjoying the content or not. Part of learning how to let go is also taking everything in without any predefined idea on how things will be. You may be surprised if you allow your mind to open up.
A new journey can symbolize many things; we tend to divide our lives in a timeline based on our new beginnings. For example, you may find that we think of our past and measure how long it has been since a big change, you may say “before I got married” “right after I finished school” “after I lost my job” “after I had my first child”, sometimes those new changes are not always in our minds in a positive light, but nevertheless, they are as important as the ones that make you smile when you reminisce.
When you are about to face a new journey, it is important that you prepare yourself and your mind. Jumping into something new can be just as exciting as it can be nerve wrecking. It is up to you to take control of how you will handle your new adventure and how you want to remember it later on.
What qualifies as a new journey?
Anything that is different than what you are doing at the present time can technically be considered a new journey, if you are at work and you are off the clock and on your way home, if you are eating and now you are preparing for a workout, if you are putting your child to bed and are about to go relax to a cup of tea, all of those are new journeys. However, we go about our lives without paying much attention to those little changes because they happen so often and affect us so little.
It is the big changes that make us tingle and keep us awake at night. For example, buying a new home, moving to a new place, getting a new job, making new friends, or even going back to things we already know but haven’t experienced in a while, like going back to school, or visiting the town you grew up in, all of those things and many others are what shape us and make us who we are.
How can you enter a new journey and keep your sanity?
It all depends on how much time you have before the new change, and if it is a decision you made or if it was made for you. We don’t always have control on how things evolve; a lot of it is usually out of our hands. Here are a few things that may help guide you through your new journey.
Stop resisting
Nothing makes change more stressful than resisting to it. As life goes on, it is very likely that we will encounter a change we don’t want to happen. When we resist this change, we are only limiting our mind and creating unnecessary stress. Letting go of this way of thinking will free your mind for more productive and positive outlooks that will help you have a better experience when the change does actually happen. Focusing on why you lost your job and how life is not fair is not going to help you find a new one, letting go of that resistance is crucial to the success of the new journey that awaits you. Think ahead and not behind, and you might find that life is a little easier.
Make lemonade
They say “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. Don’t beat yourself up over things you cannot control, but always remember that you can make whatever you want out of your life. It takes the same amount of energy to wish things were the way they used to be then it does to make the best out of how things are now.
Believe in your decisions
If it was your choice to start a new journey, you may be just as scared as if it was not your own idea. Taking a big chance can leave you feeling doubtful or unsure, make better use of your energy and guide your mind to think “I am in control of my new journey” Even if you don’t know what will happen, being pessimistic about it will not improve your chances of success. Believe that no matter what happens you will be ok and you will succeed, you have already taken the big step by making that decision, whatever comes next is just part of the process and you will handle it regardless of what it may be.
New journey, new chance
The beautiful thing about life is that it gives us many chances, when you start a new path you also have an opportunity to correct things you wanted to fix but couldn’t bring yourself to do them. Use this opportunity to make this new beginning even better. Perhaps you used to smoke at your old job and all your friends pushed you to keep doing it, but now you are no longer there and you can be a new you and let go of that habit. Maybe you didn’t focus on school last time you were there, but now that you are back you can push harder. Forgive yourself for whatever you did in the past and cherish your new brighter future.
What happens if I fail?
Failing is subjective, you get the final decision on who you are as person and if you are successful or not, don’t let anyone else tell you if you are good or bad, set your own standards and live up to them, and if you happen to miss those standards then remember that just as you faced change before, you will likely face it again, life is full of chances, but you don’t have to wait for them to come, just as a path can be made for you, you can also create your own new journey and conquer it as many times as you want.
About 
So, I think this is a perfect place to start the story of “my journey”,albeit, one of many over the last several years. However, this is my opportunity to correct a wrong turn. All starts the same way, at work, at a friends house, at the grocery store…whatever. Life seems to throw people your way who you were not looking for and for whom you end up caring about a great deal. This is the stuffing of the life “turkey”, if you will.
I was lucky enough to cross paths with someone who meant a ton to me and who I hope ( and believe) felt the same – seemed like we were so often on the same path in many ways, but most often in how our heads worked, how we thought and even what we loved to read. Mind you, more than 20 years between us- but there was a connection.
The wrench in the gears was that something ( out of either of our control) went south and I am no longer in touch with this person. Taking full responsibility for this… just didnt know how to communicate in the middle of the chaos.
This is my step toward apology. You say ” The beautiful thing about life is that it gives us many chances, when you start a new path you also have an opportunity to correct things you wanted to fix but couldn’t bring yourself to do..”
Any hope for a story like mine???
Welcome Jane, I’m glad you found our place and you took the very first step to change everything.
Yes, there is hope for your story, there is always hope as long as you believe that you can be a bit better. Now I won’t venture to say that I understand what happened, only you know that, what I can tell you is that writing it here as a comment or just on a plain piece of paper is a great way to let it all out, it is part of the healing process.
Whatever happened is, as you say, just a bad turn, and you don’t need to feel guilty about this, you are human and I bet a good person since you want to step towards a new beginning. I think what you can do right now is to forgive yourself, not because it was a mistake, but because you are judging yourself a bit too harshly. It’s ok not to know how to do something or in this particular case to not be able to communicate during that chaos period.
Now you have a bit of work to do, but I believe you will succeed, take the time to write what you want to tell to that person (you don’t have to show me or anyone, this is just for you). Let it all out, pour it down in paper and once you are done you have one last choice. To take the step to find that person and talk to him/her or to let it all rest in your past as an experience that will be the starting point of a better you.
It may seem repetitive, but the choice is all yours, and I truly believe there is not only hope but a bright future for you.
Thanks for opening up and giving me the opportunity to witness the first step towards an awesome Jane.
Alejandro Reyes recently posted..How I started my life journey to be free and happy
I am going to do that right now……thank you for your kindness and I am looking less for an awesome Jane, than I am go reconnect to someone that means alot to me. Thank you for the validation!
You are welcome, this place is about that exactly, to empower you, our readers to do the great things you are born to do. I sure hope to see you around here.
Alejandro Reyes recently posted..Step into your new journey for new experiences
Done and thank you for the encouragement. I hope others find solace here….