CHANGE

(from talk in Winnipeg, August 2007)

I think the prospect of change frightens most people, even if they are not sure why. I know
why. People are afraid of the unknown. They have been taught to be afraid. When that un-
known involves who you are, or at least who you think you are, it can get even scarier. Letting go
of who you think you are is a little like dying. But we all have dreams, we have ambitions, we
have goals – and the only way to get to them is to become the kind of person who has realized
those goals. And so we embark on changing our thinking, our actions, our habits. Each small
change can be compared to a tiny crucifixion, followed by a resurrection to something greater.
We are spirit-beings. Our potential is infinite, but our actual life is limited by the box we have
built. We stay within the sides of our box, and the box is called our ego. It is also called our
self-image.

Our imagination is the key to forming a mental image of life outside the box. If we can unleash
our imagination, we can picture the possibilities: So we begin to expand ourselves in our mind,
and we start to break down the walls of our mental prison – and our outer affairs will follow. But
then the ego alarm goes off – like a bell clanging somewhere inside, and the ego-guards come
running. Someone is trying to operate outside of parameters – someone is trying to do some-
thing that we know is not possible – it’s not within our self-image. The result is a conflict that
must be resolved – between our old self-definition and the new one we are trying to put in place.
The result is temporary confusion. Actually, some people even get a cold or the flu at this point,
just to teach themselves not to try to escape! When you catch a cold – ask yourself if you have
entertained any conflict recently. When we push past those transition points, we enjoy the fruits
of an expanded, enriched, empowered life.