Facing Change? What I Learned From Abseiling Off A Very Tall Building

Photo by Aleksei Aaltonen

If you’re facing a scary change, are afraid to let go, or afraid to move forward then this might help… I once abseiled down the side of a 100ft office block for charity.  I was lured into this feat by the prospect of a close encounter with an instructor from the Royal Artillery.  The things you’ll do just to see a man in a uniform…!
Anyway, the thing about abseiling is that you once you go ‘over the top’ so to speak and are ready for your descent, nothing much will happen unless you push yourself out – out into empty space!  At the same time you have to loosen the rope in one hand because if you don’t push or let go, you’re not going anywhere.  It feels very strange at first and a bit counter-intuitive because your mind and body is screaming “why would I consciously want to push myself off a ledge 100 feet up, whilst letting go of a rope?!”

This is exactly the same feeling we get when we’re faced with change.  We know we’ve got to move out of our comfort zone into unknown territory, but nothing will happen unless we move into a space that makes us feel very uncomfortable indeed.  Change is about letting go of the past, but pushing into the future without really knowing what’s coming next!

It takes courage to do both at the same time because our natural instinct is to sit tight, hold on and wait (hoping that it will go away).  There is, however a pivotal point where, with a bit of encouragement from someone else (i.e. in my case the army man!), we take a deep breath,  let go and push – and bingo you’re on your way.  After that the adrenaline kicks in and you feel stupendously and deliriously happy!

If you’d like some strategies for letting go, embracing change and creating a meaningful future, then more strategies can be found in my new book.  “Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road” is chock full of stories, activities, strategies and tools and tips all geared to help anyone who’s currently thinking “who am I, what do I really want from my career and how will I achieve that?”

Wendy Dashwood-Quick is a Personal Development and Executive Coach, an NLP and EFT Practitioner.  She helps individuals who are tied to the 9-5 ‘Get Out Of Their Own Way, and become more engaged, decisive and successful whilst still having a life. Get her new book “Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road – 7 Core Principles of Success” at www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1905430590/bookshaker-21 To sign up for her Newsletter log onto www.resolutioncoaching.co.uk

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