Moving is an Act of Personal Power

By Rena Reese

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, "Bloom Where You Are Planted." It is a great notion and basically teaches us that we can grow, learn and thrive regardless of our present life circumstances. Where we are in life, with all the good, difficult, confusing, and exciting choices that arise, it is never an excuse to wither or quit. Your spirit can negotiate these turns, blips and issues famously well and thrive because of them.

While this simple philosophy of thriving where we are “planted” now holds truth, consider that there are times when we feel the urge to find a “new pot” in which to bloom. People often feel the pull to move to another city, find a new job or in keeping with this analogy, BLOOM somewhere new or different. Some call this chasing a dream or running away, while others define it as running towards something and even seeking a fresh start.  Since, "Where ever you go, there you are" is truth, your personal issues, way of being, level of health, personality, ego and all its luggage will move along with you to your new location. When you move, you trade nothing about you, but your zip code. Your problems will not go away and your way of dealing with others or a crisis will not automatically improve, but there are many positive surges that come along with to moving to a new place.

Why do you want to move? If you think you'll be a "new person" in a new city---reconsider the move. If you think you'll be a "better person" in a new city, that is wholly different. Moving can be running away , but it is not always---it can be an act of personal power too. There are five reasons that moving is an act of personal power.

1. Moving offers a chance to clean house. Each day we accumulate “stuff and things.” Moving requires you to touch everything you own. You will have to decide if the couch worth 50 bucks is worth spending $200 to move a few thousand miles. You will have to decide if you’ll ever wear those ties again, use all 47 bottles of nail polish and if the contents in your junk drawer should find its place in a trash bin or recycling container. You will likely donate things which will release a lot of stagnant energy over there at your place.

2. Moving works the brain like a good Soduko Puzzle. Deciding to move takes a lot of effort in terms of logistics. You’ll have to disconnect one phone and internet connection and establish another, forward your mail, change addresses in your financial records and bills, inform friends, pack, finding a new job.... the list is lenghty. Further, when you get "there" you will need to find a mechanic you trust, the dry cleaner, gym and so on.... You are very engaged with your new environment and you have to be in order to thrive. That is one quality missing from the lives of many when blooming in the same pot year after year. We operate on auto pilot so often that we may not realize that it is time for change, somewhere. We know exactly how many steps down aisle 6 you can find the cans of tuna fish at the grocery store and may pass another product we may enjoy more if we only saw it.

3. A new environment fosters new patterns of action. If you have a hard time getting to the gym in Atlanta, you are probably going to still have a hard time in San Diego. But when you move, you are establishing new routines, a fresh outlook and it is a great time to commit to a new way of being. This can include your fitness, sleep patterns, financial responsibility, relationships and frankly a fresh start to any other pattern of action you want to erase or improve on.

4. The people you'll meet, the experiences you'll have. There is a lot waiting to unfold before you in this new place. There will be new opportunities for growth, new friendships and relationships that you may one day cherish even more than any relationship you have present in your life today! After just a short time in your new location you may hear yourself gratefully musing, “If I didn’t move I would have never met____ or learned ____.”

5. Create a new image. We know that we are not what has happened to us. Further, we know we are not what we have done or experienced. We are not our mistakes and we are not our paychecks and degrees (or lack thereof). But when you relocate, like an 18 year old who breaks out of the high school paradigm and blossoms in college---you can step out to a greater degree into the shoes of the bigger person you are meant to be. You’ll discover abundant opportunities to create yourself anew in a way that suits the modern day you, the new you, and the smarter you. If our physical bodies are created completely anew every 7 years, then you are truly NOT who you used to be! Let your spirit expand and evolve similarly too.

Your spirit may be nudging you to go somewhere, and for a good reason. You may not understand the “whys” right now, but it is guaranteed that one day you will.  If your decision to find a new pot is rooted in your personal power as mentioned above, and not fear or the desire to "run away," there is little doubt that this change is scripted for you and you should consider embracing and riding the wave of change

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