Change and growth means a lot of thought and work. The process to a better life isn’t always pretty and we might not want to talk about it. Before we succeed we might look like we are failing. Yet to move from our old way of life to our new way of life we need to admit that there is a problem. This is the first step to move forward in life.
Admitting there is a problem
Y’all, we are never going to change anything in our lives if we can’t admit that there’s a problem. This is the hard truth, written by someone that has experienced this first hand.
There was a time in my life where I experienced feeling stuck and hopeless.
I couldn’t improve my living situation, because I couldn’t improve my job situation. Yet, I’m going to take that further. I couldn’t improve my job situation, because I couldn’t improve my outlook on life.
I couldn’t improve my outlook on life, because I didn’t want to admit that there was a problem. So instead of making a change to move forward in life I did what might be happening to you, or to someone that you know.
I was running in circles instead of running forward.
Only when I admitted that there was a problem, could I begin to work towards solving that problem. This is what I believe happened to me in my faith journey as well.
Admitting that there is a problem continues to help move me forward in all areas of my life. Admitting that there is a problem is huge. If you can do that, you can start to move forward in life.
Another step to moving forward is what I call doing the work.
Doing the work
Once we admit that there is a problem we can use that momentum to help us get unstuck by reflecting, changing how we think, and setting goals.
Yet somewhere in the progress of change, we realize that we have a plan or idea that we want to do, but we can’t seem to make it happen. Or we might know what we need to do or want to change, but we find it hard to act.
Personal growth sounds great until we realize that growth requires action.
Let’s admit that we often times want the learning of the skills needed to be enough to move us forward.
Yet no one grows into perfection overnight. The journey of behavior change takes time and commitment and practice. I find that is the same with my growth in faith as well.
Confronting what we want to change
In both cases we have to confront what it is in our life that we want to change and then seek out ways to change it. Growth and change are not magical experiences even when you are faced with a powerful faith experience, like I was, or a killer science based growth tool. You have to do the work.
Sometimes doing the work is messy or takes a long time. Sometimes we are doing the work and making progress, but to others it seems like we aren’t because they don’t have the full picture. They either don’t know where we started from or they can’t see the changes happening.
It’s in this space where it is important to acknowledge your small wins and seek out people who will listen to and celebrate your growth wins–no matter how small the wins are.
Move forward in life
In conclusion, the best way to move forward in life is to admit that there is a problem and stick with the work that needs to be done to solve the problem.
I hope that in sharing what has helped me move forward in life that others will gain some encouragement that there is hope for a better day.
Feeling stuck doesn’t have to be a permanent feeling.
As someone that tried time and time again to figure out the process of how to move forward in life, admitting that there is a problem and doing the work are the best steps that I know to take at this time.
Is there another step you would add that would help someone wanting to move forward?
Behavior Challenge: What is the easiest step that you could take right now to work on a goal that you made but are having a difficult time following through with?
In my last post, Faith and Behavior: Why do we keep faith and behavior quiet?, I stated that in this blog, I want to provide a safe place to share behavior change goals and growth. I also stated that I want to open the dialogue of faith and behavior. As I continue to figure out how this works in the format of this blog, I appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
One behavior change at a time.
Great blog. I especially like the sentence where you encouraged sharing your struggle with a trusted friend. Change comes only when we are free to share our weaknesses with someone who will love and encourage us even in the midst of failure.
Victory comes not only by trusting God, but also by trusting someone who is willing to share our burdens and lift us up in prayer. True friendship is a rarity in our self-centered American 21st century culture.