new beginnings

Possibilities

emilydownward
Where will you go from here?

“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is the first day of a new year. I am full of the sense of possibility and hope for the year ahead. And while each new day is a beginning, a chance to start anew, the start of a new year seems more momentous.

I am grateful for the experiences and lessons I’ve learned along my path, and my hope is to ease the journeys of others who may be struggling with similar challenges as those I’ve faced. As I continue to explain to friends, family, and people I meet what being a life coach means, I feel honored to be able to help my clients, teaching them tools to reduce their stress, increase their joy, and tune into their inner wisdom to find their purpose.

 

So here’s to 2012. What will it bring? I hope to face each day with wonder and appreciation, celebration and love. There are bound to be difficulties, and I hope I remember to ask for help and stay open to learning. Let the journey begin again!

Surprise Grief

emilydownward
View of Manhattan from Statue of Liberty

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.”

– Anatole France

Even so called “good” changes mean saying goodbye to what was. When I was recruited up to New York City and left Dallas, I felt conflicting emotions. It was an amazing opportunity, and I was thrilled, nervous, excited and couldn’t wait to experience everything NYC had to offer. At the same time, I was leaving behind some amazing friends, moving hundreds of miles away from my family, TexMex food and everything familiar.

The grief — although I didn’t really recognize it as such at the time — came in waves. Sometimes I would just need to cry. Other times I felt it helpful to walk, especially down by the Hudson River. I find water to be very calming and restorative. I often found myself looking for a familiar face in the crowd, thinking I recognized someone, only to realize the person I was looking at just slightly resembled someone from my previous life in Dallas.

It was a difficult transition, but one I’m glad I did. Over time, it got easier. The tears for what I left behind ended, and I made new connections. And of course, there were fantastic experiences that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t been in NYC. I learned so much about myself, became much more independent and comfortable in different situations, and met many interesting people.

If you are facing a new beginning, or saying goodbye to a situation, relationship or job, I invite you to be gentle with yourself. Allow the grief, even along with the excitement and hope of new possibilities. As Richard Bach said, “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”