Change not happening fast enough

Alexis Rae Baker

Dear Lexis,

Is there a way I could streamline change? I feel like my life needed to change yesterday, but I only recently figured out how to actually go about it. It’s seeming like a really big undertaking, though, and I wanted to see if you had any advice that could help.

Thanks,

Anxious in Lacey

Dear Anxious,

The answer to your question is yes and no. Yes, you can streamline your desired change by investing time in becoming more efficient or focused, but unfortunately, you cannot skip the process. And, in all honesty, you don’t want to skip the process either.

Abraham Hicks is a long-time teacher of mine (spoken through Esther), and she talks about the hypothetical circumstance of going on a raft trip. She likens the raft trip to our own life’s journey.

In the hypothetical, she discusses the concept of talking the bus driver into shuttling them down the road, with their boats strapped on top, to where the ride would have ended. Then the bus driver would just drop you off, and you could revel in the accomplishment of having completed your journey. The problem is, though, you didn’t decide to go on the raft trip because you wanted to reach the destination; you wanted to go so you could experience the journey.

There are struggles in life that we all wish we didn’t have to go through, but the truth is, these experiences are what give us the confidence to continue on and the strength to go after our dreams. We don’t always see it, but life is always leading us to where we want to go.

A lot of us don’t believe that and choose to paddle against the current, determined that we will defeat the rapids and reach our goals in our own way. But, the river is strong and no matter how hard you fight it, it will continue to guide you downstream. So, instead of fighting against the current, it’s generally easier to just let the water take control.

This is why surrender is such a powerful thing. It requires us to trust that things are working out in our favor, but life gets a lot easier once we do. Now, I know how difficult it is to let go of the reigns, and there are times when you don’t even realize you’re fighting the current, but if you want faster change, surrender is your best friend.

The really funny thing is that once you surrender, it won’t really matter to you how soon the change comes because you’ve contented yourself to go on the journey. This is one of the annoying parts of life; things only come easily when you don’t need them to.

So, while I understand your desire to see change right now, I promise that it’s worth the wait and that it will happen a lot faster if you don’t worry about how to make things work out.

Yes, you can take actionable steps, but the more in sync you are with the current, the more likely you are to take the correct actions. This is another one of those funny/annoying aspects of life. It can be really difficult to see the big picture, and we can easily waste a lot of time spinning our wheels trying to make things work out.

So, instead, trust that the right steps will present themselves in their own time, trust the process, and surrender your need. These are the steps for streamlining change and the ways to cope when it’s not coming fast enough.

I hope this helps.

~ Lexis

Lexis is Alexis Rae Baker. She writes from her home in Olympia.   Got a question about life, relationships, spirit?  Visit her at lexisrae.com or write to Lexis at  Lexis@theJOLTnews.com