Welcome to Day 12 of the 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse. Today is a day of awakening. The comfort of the self that you know, even if you haven't loved it, always comes with a false sense of security that you will be tempted to hold on to. Like sleeping in your own bed and wearing your same old clothes, it brings some sort of inner security that a part of you wants to cling to. But the problem is that if you continue to stick with the same familiar habits and make the same choices each day, you will become stale and robotic, refusing to have your life show up any differently than it did yesterday.

Your soul is infinitely creative. It is alive and expansive in nature. It is curious and playful, changing with the tides of time. For your soul's sake, invoke the agent of change called risk, which ensures that things will not be the same tomorrow as they are today. All real change requires risk. To evoke a highly spirited life, get up each morning not "What can I do that is the same today?" but in fact the complete opposite: "What can I do that is different? What can I do that is enlivening and surprising?"

Today is the day to break free from the prison of the person you know yourself to be and step into a self you have yet to know. Will it be comfortable? No, but do it anyway. Growth is usually uncomfortable. If you're looking for comfort, you will more than likely feel tired and old earlier than you want and the misery of your caged soul will always be looming nearby.

So today I want to support you in taking risks with joy—and if not joy, at least with curiosity, because all living things must grow or they die.

Cleansing Ritual

Write a letter to your future self—the self that has fulfilled all your goals and desires. Let them know exactly what you're willing to risk to show them that you're on their side, that you're willing to let go of the status quo. For example, write down what new behaviors you're open to trying, what new emotions you're going to allow yourself to feel, what new types of food you're ready to sample, and what books, workshops or experiences you're ready to now explore.

Soulful Action

Your Outer Goal: What is one risk you can take in pursuit of your desired goal?

Your Inner Goal: What emotional risk could you take that will give you access to the feeling you most desire?

Soul Food: Change is the magical elixir of my soul.

Debbie Ford is the national best-selling author of The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, The Secret of the Shadow, Spiritual Divorce, The Right Questions, The Best Year of Your Life and Why Good People Do Bad Things. Her new book is The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse (Harper Collins). She conducts workshops across the country. She lives in California with her family.
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