Waiting In the Hallway

Have you heard the common saying about how . . .

. . . you have to close one door before another one opens?  We say it and hear it all the time - and it can be a difficult concept to grasp.  Earlier this week I had an impromptu conversation with Lynn-dee van Rensburg, and this topic came up.  I shared with her that a big part of closing one door before the next onecan open is being ok with being in the hallway for awhile.  It can be so difficult to trust that things will work out, and big changes can be very scary.  Our sense of safety and our very identity may be connected to the roles we play in life (our relationships, career).  When considering a big change like a new career, starting/ending a relationship, moving to a new place, or something else, we really want to know everything will work out fine, although we may have had a past experience where something didn't work out they way we wanted it to--which may compound our fear.

There are a couple mistakes we commonly make when closing one door to open another

• We don't completely close the first door.  We keep one foot in the old door while trying to walk through the new one.  That way we can fall back if we need to, and often times we do.  We may tell ourselves it's because it wasn't meant to work out, when more likely it's because we weren't fully committed.
• We close the first door, begin to panic, and open the very next door that appears.  That may not be the door for you, and because it isn't, things don't work out.

If we know what we wish to create for our life--even if it's just a sliver of information--it's important to set your intention and fully commit yourself.  We need to get comfortable with not knowing, learn to discern between what we actually wish to create for ourselves and what perceived opportunities may be a distraction.  We need to get comfortable with being in the hallway!  Notice I use the word "being", not "waiting", in the hallway.  This is an important distinction.  Waiting infers something else needs to happen, and can imply dissatisfaction with our current situation.  It's possible you may feel dissatisfied, and I invite you to BE with your dissatisfaction.  We spend so much time doing that the idea of being takes time to get used to.  When you create the space to be with yourself, true opportunities emerge!  One definition I found for the word being is "the nature or essence of a person".  Each and every one of us has our own unique talents, passions, and dare I say purpose.  We have this one short life, so why not live according to your truth?  You get to decide who you are and how you live, but first you must know who you are.  Being with yourself allows you the opportunity to explore your thoughts, feelings, emotions - all layers of yourself - to connect with your talents and gifts, and to allow your "nature or essence" to flow through.

You can start small.  Practicing breathwork offers you the opportunity to be with yourself (you can join us every Sunday and Tuesday).  

You can hear my full conversation with Lynn-dee below, where I share some of my personal journey.

With love,

One Breath Institute

Founder Lisa McNett

Co-Founder Debbie Schirmann

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