Xtraordinary Women Magazine April 2015 | Page 32

Growing joys or the art of evolving through action Macarena Vergara www.macarenavergara.com The first quarter of the year has already come and gone, and most of us have barely looked up and noticed! In terms of achieving what we originally set out to achieve, though, there is an advantage to the season we’re entering: the noise and distraction of the summer are waning, we are slowly getting into our groove, and maybe we’re even craving some ‘me’ time and space to re-focus our energies and intentions. So, if you feel this need, even if it’s for a split second, pay attention to it and start now! What do I mean by ‘start now’? Set an intention, a strong intention, get clear on some focused, realistic, challenging and inspiring goals to centre your life around in the coming months. Make a plan, commit to it, stick to it, use all the means you have to stay motivated, and discover and learn whatever it is that you needed to discover and learn – about yourself – along the way. At the end of it, you will not only accomplish what you set out to accomplish: you will be changed. 100% guaranteed. The truth is this: the purpose of achieving goals is about who we become in the process. When we challenge ourselves to attain something we have never attempted before, something that is bigger than us, that has the potential to expand our lives immensely, something we can only dream of, this means we are finally ready to shed a part of ourselves that no longer serves us. We are ready to evolve into a more complete version of ourselves. We are taking the steps we always knew we needed to take to make joy more sustainable in our lives. We literally and metaphorically go on a journey towards our goals. It is not about creating yet another to-do list: it is a real journey, with all the fun, the excitement, the tests, the hope and the surprises journeys bring. And we don’t necessarily know how we’ll get there at the onset, and it is good not to know! If we are ‘open to opening ourselves up’ to other possibilities for our lives, if we are willing to be challenged to do things differently, then we are growing. Think about it! If we just expect to do things the way we normally do them, then why aren’t we all successful at everything we do?! We only truly change in action. The rest is wishful thinking (or constant complaining!). It comes down to this: we act, we walk forwards, we learn something, we keep walking, we keep learning... We take our time to allow the emergence of whatever it is that we need to look at in our lives. We spend time with it; we act on it or allow it to infuse us from different perspectives. Until we know it is time for another step forward. This process changes us: it is there to deepen our connection to our own lives. Nobody says it is easy. But then, we are used to life not being easy, right? This is something I do know: that becoming ourselves is pure joy. Macarena Vergara Coaching www.macarenavergara.com Macarena is a professional Zen and Results Coach. She supports you to achieve your goals from a place of true connection to your self.