Try this…as you are walking, stop in your tracks. Now, walk backwards. And don’t look over your shoulder–that’s cheating! Notice how this feels. Scary, isn’t it? You might be afraid that you’ll walk into someone or something, or even trip and fall. It feels odd and uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Remember doing this as a precarious and precocious young child, along with not stepping on cracks and all manner of common childhood games and rituals?
Now, let’s think about change: major life change. As I’ve talked about change in a former blog post (see Necessary Losses), I am reminded that making a major life change or shift feels just like walking backwards! At first I don’t trust that I’ll be safe and not bump into anything and hurt myself. There is definitely this strangeness about doing things differently because it feels out of my routine (to walk backwards). It’s like writing with my non-dominant hand, or wearing a shirt backwards, or even taking an alternate route to a favorite well-known place.
Walking backwards as in making a major life change, involves trust. It means having faith that this change is exactly what is supposed to happen. It requires trusting that you are being guided along a path, even though you may not see where you are going. It’s HUGE really. But just think: you finally get there and then you turn around…and you see the beauty of where you are.
I dare you to try walking backwards today–no, double dare! ;-))