Begin by finding a comfortable position and closing your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths.
Feel your body beginning to relax,
Getting heavier against the surface you're sitting or lying on.
Feel any tension or tightness seeping out of your muscles,
Out of your body.
We get comfortable with the way things are.
We settle into routines,
Schedules,
Sometimes even what we describe as a rut,
A boring life where we do the same things over and over.
We do that because it's comfortable,
It's stable,
It's consistent.
A fresh start,
A new beginning shakes everything up.
It requires us to change many,
If not all aspects of our lives.
And that can be a very scary thing.
But before you let fear take over and talk you out of doing what you know you need to do,
Take a step back.
Instead of looking ahead to your future,
Take a moment to turn around and look back at your past.
See yourself standing in a hallway.
This hallway is long,
Lined with doors on both sides.
The lighting is soft and soothing.
There's plush carpet beneath your feet and soft music playing.
It's a hallway that feels comforting and familiar to you,
Even though you've never seen it before.
You choose a door and approach it.
There's no nameplate,
No label or number to indicate what's behind it.
Yet you know that it's safe to open it.
You place your hand on the handle and feel the coolness of the metal knob begin to gently warm beneath your fingers as you twist the knob and open the door.
As the door swings open,
You see a screen similar to a movie theater.
There's one chair,
A comfortable recliner in front of the screen.
As you step into the room and take your seat,
The scene begins to play out on the screen.
This scene is familiar to you.
It's the day you started your first job.
You watch yourself as you dress for work,
As you drive to work,
As you clock in and start training.
You see yourself learning how to do your job,
Getting to know your new coworkers and boss,
Maybe even making a mistake or two.
You can also read you've watched reinforced movies,
Digital television and books,
Where you've explained what you've learned and what makes you expect a little change.
How does it feel to watch that scene play out?
Do you recall the nervousness and anxiety that you felt?
Do you remember how it felt to have no idea what you were doing?
Can you see it now through the perspective of hindsight?
Can you see how the nerves were normal and how quickly you learned your job?
More scenes play out on the screen before you.
Each scene is familiar.
High school graduation,
Starting college,
Getting married,
The births of your children,
The loss of a loved one,
A bad breakup.
You see countless times where you started over began something new that you had never done before.
And each time the end result is the person you are today.
More scenes play out on the screen.
More scenes play out on the screen.
All of those fresh starts,
All of those new beginnings made you who you are today.
They all led to the change before you now.
And like all those other times,
You will one day look back on this and see it with the perspective of hindsight and realize that there was never really anything to fear.
You come to the last scene,
But this time as the scene begins to play,
You don't see a memory of something you've already done.
This time you see the new beginning ahead of you begin to play out.
Watch this new scene.
See how things might start out a bit bumpy,
But then watch as they turn into something wonderful for you.
See the beautiful new home,
Incredible new friends,
Or other amazing things that will come out of this fresh start.
Smile as you see yourself settled into this new change.
See yourself embracing this new start.
If fear or anxiety come up,
Breathe through it and keep imagining yourself fully engaged in your new life.
Take the scene off the movie screen and let it surround you.
Be fully immersed in your future after your new beginning.
Feel the excitement,
Happiness,
Love,
Freedom,
Whatever emotions come up when you see this new life playing out around you.
When you feel ready,
Let the scene begin to fade and come back to the present moment.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Stretch your body,
And open your eyes.
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