Thursday Real Talk: A Burning Desire for Change

Do you ever get to a stage where you feel that if something doesn’t change in your life, you won’t have the space to grow? I like to call this A Burning Desire for Change.

I think I’m at that stage and sometimes it’s hard to understand where it’s come from, where it’s going and what will happen next. It’s a flow. And a somewhat terrifying flow for people (like myself as my friends and family would confirm) who do not like change.

Change is defined as; to alter or modify; an act or process in which something becomes different. Thanks Google.

I think the word that stands out to me the most here, and it could be quite different for you reading this, is process. Change is a process. Change is not linear, nor can it be sudden in some instances or can it be forever. But something about change is that once the idea has sprouted in your mind, body and soul, it can be hard to quiet it down.

Desire is defined as; strongly wishing for or wanting something. … Wanting.

So if we put together – a wanting to alter the process of things, we have A Burning Desire for Change.

My wanting the alter the process of things has come in the form of going back to study. I am currently underway in studying to become a Librarian Assistant. I love bookstores and have a want to be in them long-term. However, there is a burning desire inside of me to experience books and what we can do in the form of books and community combined. And this comes in the form of a library. I guess from the outside looking in, there is starting to be a melding of Social Work values and books.

What an exciting and nerve racking time ahead! But again, change is not linear and nothing in life goes to plan. Sometimes, as humans we just need to take one day at a time. One breathe at a time. One change at a time.

Are you a lover of change? At what stage of life did your Burning Desire for Change come around?

Mel x

Sundays in bed with … The Daily Stoic

This blog tag was originally hosted byย Midnight Book Girlย and it aims to share how youโ€™re spending your Sunday readingย ๐Ÿค“

This Sunday I am waking up to read The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman ๐Ÿง 

Now I am new to these stoicism theories, texts and concepts. I’ve been mostly introduced to them by someone close in my life and The Daily Stoic is my first taster.

For me, I am really seeking this book out as something to read each morning, as it sets a precedent for each day of the year. For example, todays message is:

HOW TO HAVE A GOOD DAY: Here is how you guarantee to have a good day: do good things. Any other source of joy is outside of your control or is nonrenewable. But this one is all you, all the time, and unending. It is the ultimate form of self-reliance.

I don’t know about you but I really needed to hear this today. Somehow each passage daily, as humans, we can find some way of applying and resonating this with our lives and current lifestyle. I highly recommend giving this a try and maybe even keep a journal to write down your minds initial thoughts and feelings about each daily passage.

๐ŸŽง ‘Folklore’ by Taylor Swift – currently obsessed with this album, I think it is connected to the winter weather rolling in ๐ŸŒง

Purchase or download your copy via this link: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman

Real Talk Thursday: That feeling of self-doubt

I find it challenging to convince my brain sometimes that I am the best person for the job. Self-doubt can weigh in on decision making in my life far too heavily at times.

Let’s talk an example; recently, I decided to expose myself to a new opportunity/challenge and perspective. At the time of this challenge taking place, my thought patterns when a little like this … “YES! I can do this.”, “I tick all the boxes.”, “I have the ability to make this fit in my life and thrive.”. All great and probably truthful things, correct?

However, a day or so after being in that positive frame of mind, performing at a happiness rate and with confidence that is a true part of myself, I began to doubt my ability. Thinking thoughts of; “Maybe I won’t be good enough”, “I probably wouldn’t be the right fit.”, “What if I can’t handle it?”, “Surely, there is someone better than me to do this”. These overpowering negative thoughts tend to hold more traction in the human brain than the positive thoughts. Why do you think that is?

For me, I think the negative thoughts can trigger that overthinking part of my brain where hypothetical downfall is more and more inevitable. The hardest part is challenging those thoughts and proving to yourself why they are not true.

Therefore, I am attempting to change:

“Maybe I won’t be good enough” INTO “I am good enough and capable as I have succeeded in this task or identical before in X,Y,Z.”

“I probably won’t be the right fit” INTO “Why should I try and fit when maybe what this experience is asking me to do is be myself and that in fact might be the perfect fit.”

“What if I can’t handle it?” INTO “This experience may be hard at first but if I am strong enough to ask for help when I need it, learn from those with more experience and take on valid feedback, I most likely will be able to handle it.”

“Surely, there is someone better than me to do this” INTO “I am capable and strong. I am intelligent and have an abundance of experience in preparation for this challenge. I could in fact BE the BEST person for this.”

I think a lot of these affirmations are in fact transferable to many experience and aspects of life. As I can only speak from my own experiences, I have learnt that self-doubt will stop my personal self growth if I do not challenge it and remove it from my thought patterns. Growing is part of life and changing paths is also part of life. I guess that is just some of life’s beauty, we manifest what we wish to get out of this life and self-doubt is not on my list people!

Real Talk Thursday: A lending hand

This past week I shared this beautiful illustration by @alevneto on my Instagram and the response was lovely ๐Ÿ’–

Somehow this image incorporated warmth, care and gentleness. To me, it represented exactly how I was feeling the previous fortnight. I felt like I could finally rest my brain and allow those close to me to hold me up.

REAL TALK: Moods change and that’s okay. Something I’ve learnt through time, experience, professionals and wonderful friends & family, is that it’s okay to feel down, but it is absolutely necessary to allow those same people to hold you and lift you back up again ๐Ÿ’ซ

Take care moving into the weekend book friends ๐ŸŒธ๐Ÿ“š