Beginnings

Determination, doubt…then refocused commitment. These emotions came for my daughter in waves, with each contraction, as I watched her in labor with her first child last week. Birth is a beautiful, sometimes scary, and humbling thing to witness.

As my daughter and her husband worked together to bring their child into this world, eyes locked and steady, their strength and grace moved me. It was a true rite of passage. Right before me, my little girl showed her own beautiful mother-heart. 

Whether we’ve birthed a child or not, we’ve all lived through the beginning of a new idea. Whether we’ve been a shepherd or an observer, we can recognize the cycles of the process. 

Choosing a field of study, launching a career, investing in a relationship, starting a business, building a house, committing to better self care, making a major life shift…the list of new beginnings goes on, and we all can relate. 

These new experiences begin with vision and clarity, ignited by enthusiasm. That force initiates momentum.

Then come the questions, doubts, and complexities as we begin to feel the scope and intensity of what we’ve embarked on. We may feel alone, question our decisions, or doubt our abilities. Within that moment of wide-eyed wavering, we recognize that there’s no going back. It’s time to dig deep!

Focused and bearing down, we find and hold on to whatever balances and buoys us – purposeful vision; someone who holds our hand, encourages us, and keeps us company; or an almost superhuman force within that takes over and carries us through.

My daughter’s example of calm, determined composure struck my core for many reasons last week. My life right now is very much a series of new ideas being birthed. I absolutely relate to that  wide-eyed stage! It’s humbling. It demands determination, trust, and honest introspection. 

As the parent of any new idea, the birth work is ours to do. Where do we find support in the moments when we waver? How willing are we to honestly look within to adjust the beliefs that hold us back? Do we choose patience and persistence, rather than hesitancy and self-condemnation, amidst the doubt? What do we hold on to as we bear down and find the incentive, and the confidence, to move forward?

We each have all that we need within, and life is for discovering, nurturing, and bringing out our innate abilities. 

Whether it’s a new baby, a career move, or shifted life circumstances, as the dust of birth settles, we realize that this is just the beginning. There is a whole other set of lessons ahead. The work that our inner heart has just done has revealed what we need for what comes next.

Life goes on, and growth is a constant.