Dazzling. Spectacular. An embarrassment of riches! Mother Nature takes your breath away as she bursts into flames of Autumn color. Then with almost lightening speed, she dances her creation into the subtle monochromatic tones of winter.

Change comes fast and hard. A moment of splendor followed by turmoil and endings. From the endings, new beginnings; and the cycle continues.

Just as nature is constantly in transition, so are we. But unlike the trees that shed their leaves when they no longer serve a purpose, we resist change and hang on to our old baggage for as long as we can; unaware that we are hanging on as we continue to complain about issues and people in our lives that make us unhappy. We complain and suffer, but won’t let go. Hanging on has become a habit.

We hang on to thought forms that pull us rapidly along at a destructive pace. “I can’t,” “I wish I could,“ “I should have,” “I want.” We all use these phrases, yet on a subtle level they keep us from living up to our potential. “I can’t” keeps us from even trying. “I wish I could,” says we “can’t,” “I should have,” keeps us locked up in a past action. These phrases and a laundry list of others act as excuses for not changing the very things we complain about. Begin to listen for them. How often do they show up in your conversation? How often do you notice them on the more subtle level of thoughts.

You “wish” you could end the bad relationship “but” you “can’t.” You “wish” you could change your job “but” you “can’t.” Every time we say “I can’t,” we reinforce the idea that we can’t. Eventually our minds are impressed with this limitation and we fall into victim mode.

A good practice is substituting “I’m not ready” for “I can’t.” Believe it or not, this empowers you. You’re taking responsibility for not being ready. This replaces the “poor me” attitude of “I can’t”. “I can’t” causes paralysis, where as “I’m not ready” acknowledges the possibility of being ready at a future time. Just this minor shift in expression will create an opening for you to move on into positive change.

Another great warning signal is the word “but.” If you hear yourself saying “but”, watch out! I can guarantee you that behind every “but” or “yeah, but” lurks a habit you’re clinging to.

So, if you feel there’s room for fresh energy in your life, get out your pens and pads and make a list. First make a list of all your positive attitudes and good habits. Let them support you. It’s the good habits that make us strong and pave the way to success and happiness. Then write down whatever it is that you would like to change. Look yourself square in the eye and see what you’re doing - or not doing - that’s keeping this change from taking place. Very often just being able to identify a habit weakens it.

Keep your list of habits where you can review them three times a day and practice letting them go. Over the weeks, see how many inhibiting habits you can delete from your list and how many good ones you can add. Let me know how you’re doing!