Recently I had my hair cut. The gal who did it is very talented at hair styling. She has been doing it for many years and has now decided it is time for a change. She returned to school to learn a new skill and is ready to try a new career. While she thinks it will be exciting, she is filled with apprehension. She spoke with the customer before me about how scared she is and then brought it up with me. She wondered if she was too old, too dumb (even though she has done well in school), too new at it, etc. to get a job.  She is going to do very well at the new career, once she begins to believe in herself,

Why? Because she has a passion for the new career, a huge obstacle to happiness is neglecting your calling. I have heard it said that dreams and goals are not placed on our hearts to mock us, but rather to inspire us. If we never go beyond what we know, if we never go beyond our comfort zone, then we will never know what we might have done or been. That, to me, is sadder than trying and failing.

My choice was to leave boring security and pursue hypnosis

Trust me; working in the field of hypnosis has been a leap of faith for me. It has meant leaving the comforts of being an employee and venturing into a business where I have to explain what I do and dispel myths about what I do daily. However, the rewards have been so very worth it. I have witnessed people making life altering changes, opening up to their true potentials and overcome fears that held them paralyzed.

I recently had a client who wasn’t sure what she wanted to pursue career wise, she had an idea, but kept making excuses why it wasn’t the right career for her. She was already in the field, just in a different capacity. Though out her childhood, she had been told she wasn’t enough. Those old tapes remained in her head. We had to find a new tape to play, one that benefitted and fit the person she is today.  It was time to evict the person who had torn her down for many years from the space she held in thoughts and move in a new, more supportive person.

One other point for each of these women was they had to stop seeking permission. As children we seek permission to play, go outdoors, to try new things. But, if we never learn to self-govern we continue to seek permission from those around us.  Life choices such as career are something we are going to live with, not the people we are asking. It is very powerful when we begin to realize that we have the freedom of choice. We can choose to risk and dare, we can choose to be happy, or we can choose to play it safe and never know the thrill of living fully.

May your choices fulfill you, whatever they are!