Do it Different…Let it Go

I usually write my blogs in advance, so even though this piece will post on 1/3/12… it’s actually 12/27/11 as I begin writing.  Today was kind of a strange day.  I woke up feeling a bit anxious, almost panic-like…definately not my usual energetic, enthusiastic self! I thought it was because I was overwhelmed with a  massive “to-do” list involving starting my business over, including moving my office to a new location by 1/2/12! UGH!!!  Feeling anxious at the onset of a new year isn’t anything new for me though…I’ve made BIG changes nearly every new year for the past few years it seems (I’m not kidding!).  But, today the anxiety feels different.  So instead of falling into old patterns of behavior, like dismissing the anxiety, or reacting out of panic, I decided to simply be aware of it…see where it would take me.  

This morning I prepared for my Business Mastermind Team (http://budurl.com/Mathieu ) call…I listed my “wins” for the past 2 weeks, then I wrote down my challenge that I wanted to discuss with my team, which was the anxiety that I was attributing to starting my business over. Certain team members were quick to pick up on my choice of words and tone of voice…like I said before, I wasn’t myself!  I talked about how in a matter of days I would no longer hold a securities license. I would be saying good-bye to an industry that had been a significant part of my life for almost 20 years.  You see, I had decided a couple of months ago that in order for me to be my authentic self and take my Financial Life Planning® practice to its highest potential, I needed to relinquish my securities licenses and end my affiliation with a Broker/Dealer.  My life as a Registered Representative/Investment Advisor was ending in order to re-create my position within the same industry.  One of my Mastermind Team members  said to me…”Chris, sometimes grief plays itself out as anxiety.  I believe you are grieving.  You are letting go of your old life in order to create your new business as well as re-invent your role in the financial industry…and whenever you “let go” of something, there is loss…and when there is loss, there is grief.”  Wow!! Right? From that moment on…I felt more relaxed and my enthusiasm began to regain momentum.

For those of you that have consciously chosen to do something different for 2012, whether it be changing how you spend your money, creating a formal plan to pay off your debt, or moving to a different part of the country to pursue your passion…you may find that you experience similar feelings as I did.  Discomfort, uncertainty, self-doubt, and anxiety are words that usually have a negative implication….but, what if when you felt self-doubt or anxiety, it signaled that your choice to be different and do different was spot on??  Do you think you could embrace that perspective?  I know for myself it certainly made it easier to move through the tension.  Ultimately, I let it go of my anxiety & self-doubt and got back to enjoying my work!  I am now in my new office, with a new business…Mathieu Center for Financial Wholeness…and a world of opportunities lay before me!!!