What Shoes are You Walking In?

As I was helping a client select shoes recently, I watched her work to embrace the change that these shoes were going to bring to her life. I know that seems like a lot for just a pair of shoes, but I believe that small things can sometimes give us the biggest insights. She had been wearing a particular style of shoe for quite some time that was very low key and casual. A style that felt safe and didn't attract much attention. The shoes I were suggesting for her were fun and a bit sassy - to give an added dimension to the clothes we picked out. She told me during our information gathering session that she didn't have anything in her closet that was red (be careful what you ask for) - well we stumbled on some patent red clogs that were great. She tried them on and kept walking in the shoes back and forth. I could sense she was trying to adapt to the feeling they emanated and the attitude they invoked. Red shoes?! - was she ready for this transformation?

Clothing can give us a different attitude about ourselves if we are open to it. Shoes are big part of this - they complete the outfit. What shoes do you wear? What do they represent about you? Are your shoes old and tired looking - needing to be replaced? Is their style outdated - or predictable for you? Maybe your shoes reflect comfort and relaxation. Maybe they are smart, sassy, sexy (ooh I said that word!) and fun! If not, why not? Can you allow yourself to open up to that? Are you waiting for a special occasion? Why wait? Why not now? Why not today? What are your excuses - too expensive, not in the budget, too hard to walk in, too frivolous, I don't have time to shop, I don't want to be bothered. Are these some of the same excuses you use in other areas of your life?

What excuses are you using to hold yourself back? As we see with the sad death of Patrick Swayze at the young age of 57, our tomorrows are not guaranteed. Yes change can be frightening, but it is necessary and imminent for our growth. We are in a season of change right now with the fall equinox approaching. As we see the beauty in the changing leaves - can we see and embrace the beauty of change in our lives? Change is coming whether we like it or not - it is inevitable. Relaxing into the change and letting go can make the transformation smoother and let us open up to the beauty in it. Caroline Myss advises us to stay in our inner castle - our inner power when dealing with the tides of change - I agree.

Clothing and shoes are tools we can use to help us stay in our power as we work through the unknown factors of change. Yet, ultimately, we will find that we don't really need these tools. As Dorothy discovered in the Wizard of Oz - the power was not in the shoes - it was in her. The good witch tells her "she had it all along".