For a very long time, I secretly believed that I was a failure if I had to pivot in life.

I thought I needed to stick to my planned trajectory even if I came to hate it. I would never be successful if I didn’t persist at something, even if my heart wasn’t in it. No one ever taught me that learning to deal with obstacles, find creative solutions, and listen to my intuition mattered more than doggedly keeping at something that no longer fit me. 

People change. Goals change. Our idea of what our future looks like must change too, as life usually disregards our grand plans and does whatever the hell it wants. I resisted shifting so very much, sure that if I “gave up” what I’d worked on for so long, it meant that I was a failure and that even worse, I’d wasted years of my life on nothing. 

Do I wish that I’d let go of that ridiculous idea a long time ago? Yes, but I can’t adjust the past. Better to understand now than never. I can stew in regret over the fact that I stubbornly stuck to a career path that made me unhappy because I didn’t know what else to do, or I can find gratitude that I’m learning to adjust my life now. 

If you’d told me ten years ago – hell, even five years ago – that I’d quit my job, start living a nomadic lifestyle, teach yoga, write this blog, and want to become a multi-modality healer… yeah, I would’ve thought you were completely insane. I feel like I’ve been at least four totally different people, and I’m only halfway through my life. It’s hard not to obsess about where I could be if I’d learned what I know now when I was much younger, but that wasn’t my particular journey. 

This is a somewhat extreme example of changing your mind – but it also isn’t. These large life transformations came about gradually through many small shifts and awakenings. I’ve had spurts of accelerated growth and also many long periods of stagnation. The size of the change doesn’t necessarily matter. It’s the openness to adjustment, to shifting, to moving with the flow of your particular storyline. 

Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t allowed to change your mind, ever. You can absolutely change your mind at any time, about anything. The human state is one of constant shifting, adjusting, pivoting, and evolving. It’s your life – don’t spend it letting others decide who you are and what you should be doing. If they are trying to keep you stuck, I’d guess you aren’t the problem – it’s their discomfort with the unfamiliar. 

One of the most gloriously liberating feelings in the world is the knowledge that you are free to continuously change. You are allowed to be whoever the hell you want to be, and also to evolve from moment to moment if you so desire. It’s absolutely okay to change your mind. Don’t let anyone else hold you back. Don’t hold yourself back. 

Be yourself, you glorious creature. You got this. Set yourself free. Sending you love.