"No one can tell us when we're ready. No one can and no one should. Only you can make that choice because the answer is within you. No one else carries your truth."
We all know how hard it can be to make a change, but when we finally reach the moment when we are ready, it can be an empowering, inspiring thing.
We feel like a cannonball ready to blast off into the sky. It feels like nothing can stop us!
Except our fears.
I'm not talking about the fears of whether or not we are making the right choice. The chances are that if you're feeling ready, you've already grappled and tackled that fear.
I'm talking about the moment when you are ready--really ready now--and the worries of what everyone else will think, say or do is stopping you.
It might feel like the people around you don't understand your need for change and it might even feel like they don't want you to grow. Maybe they aren't supporting this change the way you wish they would--even though you believe it's a change for the better.
Now you may be imagining this, your fear putting irrational thoughts in your head, but there's a chance you may be right.
Sometimes the people around us don't want us to change.
They may ask why we have to change. They will keep reminding us of who we used to be instead of recognizing the potential in who we are becoming. They will pull us back into the past whenever possible and they may even make us feel incapable, silly or crazy.
They don't mean to do this. It's just their fear.
They are afraid if we move, if we grow, if we take a step in a new direction, that they might lose us.
They feel if we transform our lives, our habits, our lifestyle and our thoughts, we might not be the same with them. Maybe we won't see them as much or do the same things we've always done. Maybe in growing, we'll grow further apart.
And you know what?
They may be right.
It could be sad to think about, but there's a chance that the people who suited you best in your teens may not be the ones you click with most in your twenties, or your friends in your thirties won't be the ones you'll be around in your sixties. There's a strong possibility that as your interests expand, your passions are pursued, and your life sprouts in different ways, your circle will be reshaped.
After all, the people around you are doing their own thing. Naturally, we can't all be on the same path at the same time.
Another layer may be behind their fear too.
They could be afraid that if you are making changes, and they are not, it means they are not doing "enough" in their own lives. Instead of being inspired by your energy and actions, they might feel pressured to make some of the changes they've been dreaming about, but are simply not ready to.
But that's not your business. What is your business is you. Specifically, you being ready.
If you are ready, the time is always right.
You can't let the fears of what might happen if you follow the direction you're pulled in stop you from moving forward.
Let go of the fear of who will walk by your side, supporting you every step along the way. Know that some people won't. Also know that some people will; they will be just as happy as you--cheering you on completely and genuinely.
Either way it's alright. The most important thing is to follow your path.
And the exciting thing to think about, the one you should focus on, is that as you honor this magnetic pull, your call to action, new people will be introduced to you. New possibilities will be presented. Things you never imagined will become your reality.
All because you took a step.
And if anyone asks why you're doing what you're doing, and they want explanations to your newfound sense of purpose, and you don't feel like explaining or defending yourself, remember, there's only one thing to say:
Because I'm ready now.