Be the change…
As I began to write this end of the year/holiday piece and looked back on my year, I couldn’t help but turn to the oft cited quote of Ghandi, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” I love so much that it calls us to be the change, not to make the change. It is the interior changes to our lives, our adjustments and refinements to our being, that last for the long haul. Inner change — a new perspective, growth in love, expansion in our values and learning in general — leads to an outer expression in our lives. Aligning our being with who we desire to be impacts the direction we take our lives, what we create and how we show up day to day.
It might be news to some people that we get to choose how we want our inner space to be. We get to create it according to our vision and our desires. I have written before about how our inner space can be our safest space. Prayer or contemplation in any form puts our being into the space of trust in the sacred beyond and inspires trust in ourselves. During this season of Advent, I have been reflecting on the inner space that Mary created to welcome her son into the world, providing a space where he could be what he was called to be.
We often associate Mary with a willingness to trust. I have long felt that considering “faith” or “belief” as trust enables the first step of inner change, which is allowing what is to be. Seeing reality clearly and allowing it to exist reveals our willingness to live in the actual present. This spiritual shift is the wellspring of true strength and authentic power.
While I have my preferences in how I promote spiritual growth in my life, there is no “one way” or “best way” for this to happen. I have seen this evidenced in my own life over the years as well as in the lives of my four children and many others. What is needed and what is helpful can vary wildly for us over a lifetime.
It is plenty clear to me how inner changes led to exterior changes in my life this year. It was actually learning about a specific topic that changed how I see people and how I see the world. This learning along with continued shifts in my spiritual practice impacted my discernment, decision making and daily life. I made so many changes in my life this year — I left a “dream” job that no longer worked for me. I started Diamond Hill Coaching and I purchased and moved into a townhome in Mendota Heights, MN. (That’s why you haven’t heard from me in a minute!) None of these changes were easy. They required patience, grit and brutal honesty, to myself and others at times. These big changes and many others were made possible and facilitated by inner growth and constant living into my values and visions.
All of this change, though, supported my own lifelong mission — to grow in love for God, self, others and all creation. For me, Christmas celebrates the sheer power of trust and love and the new year reminds me of the possibilities available to all of us when we start to allow what is and imagine what can be.