It's Only Paint -or is it?

We reveal our fears in what we say and do, how we see the world, what we're willing to do and what we're not--and why.   Paula Renaye

I bought my condo three and half years ago, did significant renovations, including popcorn ceiling and wallpaper removal and retexturing and paint throughout. A few months ago, I painted most of it again. The living and dining room is now a fourth color, kitchen is on its fifth and my master bath is on color number six.
Now, you may think that's crazy--and for some people it would be! But our inner and outer worlds both reflect and influence each other, and for me, the paint is just a part of my ongoing personal evolution. I'm not the same person I was when I moved in here--or that I was three months ago. When I birth new inner versions of me, I like to upgrade my outer world accordingly--a way of marking the changes that aren't visible with ones that are.

It is worth noting that some of us will use anything--including painting and decorating--as our drug of choice to avoid dealing with the internal voice that's telling us we need to make changes in our lives. That's a different thing and we all have to determine the truth of our own situations--and self-police accordingly.
We all fear change, and our particular quirks show up in what we say, do and how we see the world--what we're willing to do and what we're not, and yes, even how we feel about painting the walls.

I have a friend who has recently begun to see how her fears have limited her life. She had worked hard to get her home about ten years ago, moved in and hadn't done a thing to the place since. Her walks were stark white and her furniture and decorations were from her mother's estate, right down to the crocheted doilies on the tables. Honestly, it was like walking into my grandmother's house--and she died 30 years ago. Granted, it could have been simply a style preference and certainly none of my business, but it wasn't. It was fear.
Her fears showed up in everything she did and said. I once joked that she should get a job as an actuary because she could identify the worst possible scenario for anything. These scenarios kept her from doing most things or required her to make extensive preparations to guard against all the "what ifs" her mind created. But what really got me was when I mentioned I'd bought more paint and was painting, her comment was, "Well, what if you don't like this color either?" 

Now, to me that is a crazy question! For me, it isn't even a question at all. If I don't like it, I'll change it! For her, however, it was such a huge risk. After all, she hadn't changed anything at all in over a decade. If she did, at her age, she believed she'd have to live with it until she died!

This condo has been hugely important for me on so many levels. It represents my reclaiming of my life and making my way as individual--and the rapid changes that are still taking place.

Being afraid to change manifests in a lot of different ways--and it can un-manifest just as uniquely.
Whatever your fears are, now is the time to face them. Do it and make 2012 the best year ever for yourself. Because, you see, when you face your fears and change your way of looking at the world, it affects everyone one else around you--for the good!

Start living your joy, now!
Paula

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Paula Renaye is tough love motivational speaker, certified professional coach and author of the multi-award-winning self-empowerment guide, The Hardline Self Help Handbook. Hardline is available in paperback and just about every ebook format out there (Kindle, Nook, Apple, Mobi, etc.). It's still on sale at amazon.com so get it now! Also, read the FREE now: Most Likely to Succeed--A Short Story of a Woman's Journey Back to Herself.