I Will Fly, Though My Wings Are Clipped

Sometimes people feel the need to develop other talents or to devote their time to other activities. However, when they then say out loud, “I will fly” or “I need change,” chances are they are not getting as much support from their environment as they expected.

We often see this in partners, although it is also common within families. Every personal development and change process is accompanied by its own problems. The problem we are going to talk about in this article is one of the most common.

Life is not static. Things change, people evolve, and it doesn’t always happen in the same direction or at the same pace.

This is one of the reasons why it is so important to understand why those who are close to us are not always behind the changes we want to make for our own personal development. They may even become a major obstacle to overcome.

Why is this happening?

First, we must keep in mind that any change or personal development process is not limited to the person going through it unless the person lives alone or is isolated from the rest of the world.

In many cases, we are an important part of someone else’s world. Our actions and decisions can therefore also affect these people.

If you decide to fly for yourself, it can also affect the lives of those around you. As a result, they may feel as if they also need to make adjustments in their own lives. Adjustments they might rather not make.

The fear of change

Change is scary. However, when it comes to a necessary change, the urge to change outweighs our fear and we are no longer afraid to leave our comfort zone.

It’s good to consider what those who disagree with our decisions might feel. In this way, every improvement and personal development process makes us make a natural selection of the relationships we have with others.

Situations like this help you realize the reasons others want to be around you. However, it is important to be careful with these kinds of interpretations. They remain based on your own assumptions, which you have formed based on only part of the information.

The situations that can cause you to say “I will fly” are quite diverse, as are the forms of resistance you may encounter within yourself.

For example, by going to the gym five minutes earlier than you are used to and thereby annoy the person who has to open the gym, or by making it uncomfortable for your partner because you suddenly have to go to a class in the evening and he is now the one who make the food every day.

The change process

Change is a complex process in which we encounter all kinds of personal obstacles. Several elements come into play when a person decides to change an aspect of their life. Self-knowledge is an essential part of this. It allows us to analyze our strengths and weaknesses through moments of self-reflection.

In addition, processes of change and personal development can also occur during severe crises causing a person to feel the need to find a better purpose in life.

When someone decides to fly, they probably know that they will be confronted with their own limiting beliefs. This actually forces him to face his fears.

This also puts the people around him in an insecure position. They don’t know to what extent his change will affect their own lives.

I will fly, despite my fears

In such cases, we may also start projecting the fears of others onto ourselves. For example, it can be unpleasant for your partner that you are out late at night. In this case, his fear relates to you and your safety.

Another example is the insecurity that parents feel when their child says he wants to change careers. At the same time, however, it may also be that people mistakenly believe that certain changes are impossible because they are not capable of them themselves.

If you need change or if you think some aspect of your life could be improved, focus on it. Those close to you may or may not support your decision, which is one of the biggest obstacles.

However, if these people are supposed to be in your life, then you have to deal with them. If not, they will not be part of the change. Tell yourself, “I will fly, despite my fears.”