That little thing we like to call fear. It gets in the way of EVERYTHING. At least for me it does and something tells me that I am definitely not alone.

For a long time, change and fear were directly correlated in my book. Anything new or any change that was on the horizon or actively taking place would initially instill the fear of God in me. I’m talking high anxiety, panic, tears, possible hibernation; the, “Please don’t talk to me or I might flip my shit,” kind of fear. Sound familiar? The funniest part is that I knew, in the long run, that whatever the change was – it was going to benefit me in some way. So why, OH WHY, did I have a connipshit every time? That’s a great question. I believe that it boils down to two simple words from my past, “You can’t.”

Since I was a little girl, in various aspects of my life, that is what people told me and some people still throw that phrase at me. You’re not tall enough. You’re weak. You’ll get hurt. It isn’t in your best interest. We don’t want you to. It’s too difficult. Blah, blah, blah. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the idea of self-love, that I realized all of the negative jargon that people had been feeding me for years was total crap. Every ounce of it was so unworthy of my time and energy that it deserved to go in one ear and out the other. And so, I started to say, “Yes, I can,” and “Watch me.” Talk about a major confidence booster. Wowza! What was (is) empowering was (is) my ability to realize that when something truly is not going to benefit me, knowing it is best to simply say, “No,” and just {l e t. i t. g o.} that I stop the second guessing and simply say, “No.” Honoring yourself is a beautiful thing and saying no doesn’t always have negative consequences.

Change and fear have been coming up a lot for me lately. The biggest change came when I realized that I no longer wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. After deeply reconnecting to my yoga practice and forming some of the most amazing sisterhoods and friendships that I have ever had present in my life – my love for yoga’s physical, emotional and spiritual aspects became apparent to those around me. And I just knew that I wanted to make that bond eternal. But that was so, so scary for me to come to terms with at first – what a huge change to try and welcome into a life that I had envisioned so differently. With my own happiness and dreams at stake, I said, “Fu@k It!” and quit my job at the hospital to pursue the wonderful unknown. Best decision ever. And, you know what? Being the empowered woman that I am, I left the, I can’ts, I shouldn’ts, Nos, Buts, and I don’t knows, at the door and the most amazing thing happened… The response from my family and friends has been nothing but positive. Just like judging ourselves gives others permission to judge us, nay-saying our dreams and aspirations gives even our biggest supporters the permission to tell us we can’t. So, stop it already. Start telling yourself…

I can. I am. I will.

Apply it in all areas of your life; even the crazy ones. For example, when a friend suggests that you just stop, drop and do acro yoga – don’t say, “I can’t.” Just try it. Then throw in some glow in the dark body paint, black lights and a tutu…

Sometimes just saying yes can set your whole life into motion.

A promise I made to myself a long time ago was that I would never stop fighting to get my voice heard; never, ever. The harder I fight to spread the idea of replacing judgment with love, the softer my heart becomes. Sure, things still get difficult, bad days are inevitable and fear tries to make itself a permanent fixture but love is always here for us and love ALWAYS wins.

Love.