Remember a couple weeks ago I wrote about teeny, tiny sticky notes?

If you remember that - awesome!

If you remember what that was actually about - even awesomer.

The teeny, tiny sticky notes served as an example to ramble on about leaving ourselves enough room to be who we want to be on our own terms.

I want to dig into this a bit more. I get that it's one thing to want to do or be someone else and it`s a whole other thing to actually make those dreams reality.

One has to assess the pros and cons of staying with the status quo, or making the change. And very often it's not what the person wants the most that wins out.

It is the option that seems the least painful or the least scary.

Very often making space for change means things have to go. Letting go of things can be terrifying.

I say this to my patients in a handout I give them the first time we meet,

"The fear of change has to be less than the fear of staying the same."

Take for example, someone wanting to lose weight. She has to most likely change her food and eating habits, giving up her favorite "treats." She most likely also has incorporate movement into her routine and create time in her crazy busy schedule to get her body moving.

To be honest food and movement can only take her so far. To get lasting change she has to face the things that might have caused her to use food essentially as a drug and overeat. This is the most frightening part.

Or perhaps there is a woman at the top of her company who wants to live by the sea and make art. She has to face the idea of a change in lifestyle, income and routine. Not only that but she is worried those who love her will judge, ridicule and misunderstand her. That is some scary stuff.

Sometimes change is freaky!

But you gotta make room for the fear.

Feel it.

And as they say, "Do it anyways."

Otherwise you get lost in the hypothetical loop for ever.

And it can drive you loopy.

What if I fail?
What if I succeed?
What will people think of me if I do? Will they still love me?
What if it's a waste of time? Energy? Money?

A valuable exercise for some is to play in the mental fantasy of those worst case scenarios. Think it through. How bad could it really be? Would you be any worse off than you are now?

You know what I find better? Listening to your gut, feeling into your heart, and making a body-centred choice.

I betcha the fear isn't as bad as NOT living your dreams.

Would the change be of better service to you? Your family? The world? Generally the things that are aligned with our heart-soul purpose meet all of these criteria.

Give yourself the space to feel your fear. Let it be your driving force - so you can give yourself the space to let that little voice inside yourself sing out loud and proud.

That's a lot of giving space. I know, it's extremely charitable.

Here's to your fear-divin', jivin' Health and thrivin' Life.

Dr. Tonia