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Excerpts from Chapter
One; |
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How You View Your Bridge (excerpt) |
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| Close your eyes a moment and picture a bridge. Visualize as many details as possible. Now, take that picture and alter it, making this bridge your own. Change as much or as little as you want. This is your bridge to create. Keep in mind that symbolically, this bridge represents your life and the transition period you are entering. How you view this bridge is an indication of how you envision your transition. Do you view it as difficult or do you welcome it with open arms? How do you feel about moving from one life experience to the next? How will this change alter your future and the life you want to live? Answering these questions will assist you in creating the bridge best suited for you at this point in time. Now, you may be asking yourself, "How can this transitional bridge be a positive thing if I'm viewing it with fear and anxiety?" The truth is, you are always where you need to be and you are the one who creates your reality. So you need to accept responsibility for your life. If you can see your current situation from a "I put myself here" perspective, you are accepting responsibility for your actions and your life become less fearful. By accepting this transition with open arms, you are saying, "I welcome this change." You are not afraid of the journey ahead and understand that most events occurring in your life are entirely up to you. You accept that all situations will not always go your way, but you have control over your emotional reactions and that is where your power lies. No matter what situation you find yourself in, you always have time to stop, take a few deep breaths and prepare for your next step. So take a good look at your bridge. Soak it all in because we are going to be spending some time there. |
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Preparing For Your First Step (excerpt). |
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| You've created your bridge, but are unsure about taking that first step. Nothing says you have to run full speed and take a giant leap. You can stand and prepare all you want. Don't worry that others may be moving onto their bridges before you or that other individuals are half-way across. The better prepared you are for your journey, the more successful your journey will be. So take time to personally prepare. Part of emotional preparation is packing. How and what you pack is an important process. You usually have three options: packing light (carry-on luggage), packing heavily (four large suitcases, three duffle bags, two carry-on's and of course, the fanny-pack) or not packing at all (flying by the seat of your pants). Each of these options represent a personality type and we will discuss these individually. |
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Controlling Your Flow (excerpt)One of the first things you may notice on your journey is the water flowing under the bridge. To some, it is swift and menacing, creating anxiety and fear. Others see it as smooth and calming, creating a sense of tranquillity and security. The water flowing under your bridge represents your emotional attachments to the baggage you've decided to pack and take with you. Now may be a good time to toss anything aside that will lighten your load. This is easier said than done, but eventually, it's a necessary step. The sooner you can smooth the raging water under your bridge, the easier your journey will be. Throwing emotional baggage into a raging river can create heart failure, especially to a heavy packer, but if you let go and allow the emotional baggage to be removed from your life, you will notice your load becomes lighter and over time, will realize you are better off without it. The tricky part is retaining the lesson the emotional experience brought. This leads to a deeper question. If the lesson brings a reminder of the emotional experience, how do you let the experience go without losing the lesson? Without a reminder, how do you remember? It's like putting your hand against a hot burner. You don't have to repeat the experience of getting burned to retain the lesson that came from it. The experience and the lesson is retained. But without the memory of the incident, you would be clueless and touch the burner again. So the answer lies in your emotional attachment to the past event. If you release the emotional attachment, you can retain the experience/lesson connection, but not repeat the pain that was involved. This can take months, or even years, to accomplish. So this is where emotional control over events becomes your power point. When you can release your emotional attachment to an issue or situation, you take back control of your life. |
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Remaining Focused (excerpt).You need to remain emotionally aware of what's happening in your life by staying focused on your reactions to all the situations you find yourself in. This is the key to self control. No matter what you encounter on your bridge; if you remain focused and centered, you remain in control of your journey. This is especially true when you encounter a crossroad. |
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Summing It Up (excerpt).The journey of crossing your bridge represents acceptance, growth and maturity. The path is not always easy, but once you recognize the experience/lesson connection, you gain control of your emotional responses and emotional control is an asset when dealing with your individual shadows. |
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| "We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Author Unknown |
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