Transition is always scary. As people, we fear change and the unknown more than most things. I always thought, Rightly so – Who knows what’s to come? But then I realized… this is an affirmation I tell myself – I permit myself to fear what I don’t know is coming, and I perpetuate that belief by focusing on the future and fearing what I do not know to come. I brace myself, nervously, wondering and awaiting and attempting to calculate what could possibly happen next, curious if the decisions I’ve made thus far are to my benefit or my detriment.

I receive daily inbox reminders from TUT – the Universe, 5 days a week. That’s five mornings I get to wake up, check my email, and have a happy, healthy reminder to be present and allow the change to happen… trust the Universe, in other words. I am reminded that change is always holding a hidden layer – a next level of greatness that we, as humans, get to unfold. It’s the wonderment that we should be grateful for, and spend our time focusing not only on practicing mindfulness in each present moment, but hauling ass working toward or working on our life goals.

I realized recently that I have been spending a bit too much time in my comfort zone – brainless work that doesn’t allow me to feel accomplished or as though I’m aiming toward something I truly want. I am a writer, and I must write. I have goals that I’ve set, many years ago, that I’ve not been working toward – and not nearly fast enough for my own satisfaction. That’s not to say I haven’t taken stock of the hard work that’s been put in over the passing years… but I want to hustle and flow into the next chapter. I can already feel the energy shift and the dominos fall.

I made the difficult (and somewhat nerve-racking) decision to quit my job, and accept an offer to work somewhere that will allow me to work a job that’s just a job, that I don’t have to delve every fiber of my being into and spend all my creative energies throughout the day, with less hours worked for more money earned. To top it off, there are opportunities abroad - in NYC or Paris with open arms that are ready and waiting if I am. And I realized, that even in the possibility that I could pack up and go somewhere else -- somewhere the goals are closer to reach, I feel free. And with that feeling of freedom and possibility I regain something I've missed: to be able to relax and save that innovative energy and allot it to writing, creating, and planning at the end of each day. And for that I am so excited, and so grateful.

There was a study conducted where several individuals were asked to measure their success level in their own eyes between 1 and 10. Many of them took some time to think about it, and rated themselves rather low, saying that, they’ve not focused enough on their dreams, or worked hard enough, or done their best, all the time. The same question was asked then to these individuals’ parents, family, or friends. Each person received a rating of 10, and even beyond. These people who valued their parent or sister or partner so much were filled with joyous pride in the accomplishment and ability of their loved ones, and didn’t even hesitate to answer. The people who ranked themselves low initially were so surprised, humbled, and honored when the answers were revealed.

We must remember to appreciate ourselves, and understand it is fully OK to humble-brag every once in awhile! It is so important to take pride in the hard work in even the baby steps we've taken over the minutes, weeks, and years, and remember to not look backward too much, but stay present. We are all just doing our best, trying to understand ourselves better day by day, and figure out the next step in our journey. With that said, we should look forward to those steps, not fear them – for fear is paralyzing, and keeps us restrained from moving forward. And as we move forward, we move upward, and as we move upward, we grow – and growing isn’t something to be feared, it is something to learn from, excitedly! Wisdom, knowledge and understanding will make the journey so much more enjoyable and prepared for the adventure ahead. After all, we’re all in this together, even as we fly solo through the darkness (or lightness) of transition… Who knows what’s to come?