Each week in The Wisdom of Change blog series, I share the original artwork and unpack the insights and meaning behind one of the 44 cards in The Wisdom of Change oracle deck.

This week’s card is 2 Next Step

When I took my first tentative steps towards creating the big changes I wanted in my life, I was fearful about what I was signing up to.  It seemed to require a whole lot of faith and not much guarantee of a return on my investment.  I had so much to learn about trust and surrender, following my intuition and being an unequivocal yes to myself to name but a few fundamentals.  Following a steep and relentless learning curve, I gathered a few reliable change tools in my kitbag and things finally started to get exciting.  

The process of profound personal change is addictive once you get the hang of it.

I gained momentum with my progress as a result of some key insights.  I learned how my previous behaviours and thought patterns had been holding me back. I worked out how old patterns of thinking and acting had sabotaged me and I identified the exact points where I always got scared and turned back.  I was on a roll.

And then it’s as if progress just stops.

There is all this adrenaline and positive forward movement and then nothing.  No further insights for a while. No engine to keep going despite the desire to. It’s as though you are being invited to consolidate at a deeper level.  No matter how hard you push, you can’t see what’s ahead.  It’s frustrating and you start to wonder, what the next step is.

Despite how it feels, this is great place to be.  What next?  Where next and why? are great quality questions.  It’s good practice to get comfortable with restlessness of this nature.  It shows you how far you’ve come and the zest you have for the journey ahead. It tells you that you have invested in yourself to a level where you are impatient for more.  The key learning now is how to take the next step in the right way.

A new desire that excites you might be just what you need but beware of shiny new things that take your energy away from your true path.  I had to learn to resist falling backwards into my previous habit of ‘busy fool’.  I had to hone my skills to identify which next steps would be nurturing, exciting and easy.  Yes, easy! 

I had never imagined that it would be possible to make great strides without significant strain.  I had to uncouple great success from great effort.  I had to be aligned to the idea that living purposefully could be achieved with joy and ease.  That success and recognition did not have to come with unreasonable and exhausting personal cost to me.

If you find yourself pondering what the next step is for you, dig in.  Delve deeper to excavate answers to questions such as how easy can I allow this to be?  How much good can I stand to experience? and how can I gain the recognition I desire while doing what I love and making the difference I know I’m here to make?

Use your focus wisely.

If you’ve come this far, you are most definitely on track.  Don’t settle for anything less than a great adventure.  Don’t beat yourself up if the way ahead is not yet clear.  Look for ease and joy as you follow your calling.  Seek greater impact without burning yourself out. Be available for recognition to land in your lap without feeling you need to command or chase it. Believe that the journey you are on gets better and better and from that place, take your next step.

You’ve got this.

Can’t see your way ahead? 

Reach out and book some time to chat and we’ll get you back on track in no time.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s connection to your inner wisdom.

As always, I’d love to hear your comments below.

If you’d like to learn more about The Wisdom of Change oracle deck you can find out more here.

If you'd like to find out more about a Wisdom of Change reading with Wendy please click here.

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