Jeff and I are both heading for the Far East this week, each of us working in new ways with new groups. So this blog is about a familiar process for us.

After the initial commitment of saying ‘yes’ to the new, there’s the flutter of excitement as we visualise the shining future this project or relationship will bring. But as the new project or relationship gets closer to really happening we notice something else… all our old ‘stuff’ comes up!

By ‘stuff’, we mean that whatever our patterns are – whether that is doubt, fear, feelings of inadequacy, ‘why me?’, getting into a fight – display themselves as we get ready to take this new step. If we don’t know about this dynamic, we are tempted to run away, give up, forget our leadership gifts and go back to our comfort zone once again.

This is the moment to remember that the ego part of our mind wants us to shrink ourselves, to stay separate and small, so it reruns the familiar negative patterns. It is our higher mind that leads us to take another step into the unknown, to reach for higher goals, to connect with others at new levels of partnership and love.

And so once again we face the choice – which voice will we listen to? Will we buy into the old way or find the courage for the new direction? Each time we take the next step the choice gets quicker, the temptation to run decreases, the trust in a helping hand grows, we give more of ourselves and we feel more successful.

The bad news is that the ego voice always lies in wait at these moments of stress. The good news is that its power evaporates when we find the courage for our next step, and life celebrates and rewards us in all kinds of unexpected ways.

With love,