“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin

The Trapeze Artist

Several years ago and shortly after I decided to leave a tumultuous situation, I met with a Holistic Health Practitioner to help me restore balance in body, mind and spirit. I was in no way able to make decisions in the state I was in about how I was going to move forward.

After the initial session we knew we had a deeper spiritual connection whereby she would help guide my transition into the next level of my life path. She passed onto me a gift that was given to her when she was going through a similar situation. It was a hand-crafted trapeze artist charm that symbolized taking a leap of faith.

The trapeze artist “archetype” symbolized being brave enough to take a giant leap knowing there was a safety net to catch you if you failed to catch the rung. To have faith that no matter what something was there to support your in moving forward, even if you didn’t make it on any given try. The net was there to catch you and help you bounce back.

For a time after that, I would think of that story every time I had to make a big decision and was not sure if I could really take the risk to reach out and grab on to the next thing. Every time I did take that leap, it gave me momentum to make catching the next rung so to speak, even easier. It helped me build confidence, as well as faith, that it was safe to take the next step, trusting in the process of life and knowing I would always be supported.

When To Exit A Situation

Sometimes, it just takes a little encouragement from someone and the permission to move ahead, leaving behind what was. You see, sometimes we feel we need to stay in a situation out of loyalty, fear, uncertainly about the future, even if it might not be in our highest and best interest to do so.

As life goes on, some things that suited us in the past, may no longer be the best fit. Each new moment bring a new opportunity for new choices that may lead to even better results. Outcomes that elevate us to living our best life.

Each one of us in on a path, our own journey, and each one of us is supported in that. And yet, we can find ourselves thinking that it is our responsibility to maintain the status quo or make the other person happy, even if it means sacrificing our own happiness.

Freedom From Co-Dependency

Supporting someone out of a sense of obligation or guilt may lead to dis-ease if it takes you away from who you are and dishonouring your own needs. It may even block someone from finding the support they ultimately need, if you continue to enable them. I learned this in hindsight, and now have the foresight to honour each person’s path as their own, and not try to fix, change or control any particular outcome.

When you’ve been taking care of others for so long, you may forget how to take care of yourself. In looking to what might be best for another and accommodating that, you might forget you have needs too and not remember or know what they even are. This too can create a sense of fear if you were to leave, as you may not know who you are outside of that role anymore.

While your other obligations are important, taking care of yourself should be a top priority. When you’re caring for yourself properly, you boost your confidence in your ability to be self-supportive.

What Else is Possible?

The thing is, you don’t have to do it alone. There are many options discovery session and resources out there to support you in choosing the right path or your next step on it if you are feeling at a crossroads or at a time of reckoning.

Speaking to a person who can be objective about your fear and anxiety about supporting yourself can help you devise a plan to help you overcome those challenging feelings and feel more confident.

Remember the trapeze artist, as you start moving back out on your own trust that support will be there for you, and those you no longer support or support less.

Know that as you begin moving forward and taking small risks, you gain momentum to get to other side of this and begin asking yourself-”What else is possible?” and have the confidence to live your best life.

You deserve the best life has to offer!

About the Author

Jennifer Regular is a Soul-Centred Empowerment Coach at Lighting the Path helping Multi-passionate Entrepreneurs find focus on their soul’s path and align with their Divine mission. Download your guide to living with passion and purpose here.