One of the most beautiful aspects of life on this planet is that we always have the option to reinvent ourselves. If you don't like what you are experiencing, you can change it. If you want to play at a higher level, you can choose to grow. We have the ability to dream and to make our dreams come true. One thing that stops us is our own fear.

Author Leslie Charles says: "Fear is nothing to be afraid of." (Stick To It! The Power of Positive Persistence, Yes Press) It happens. It can paralyze us if we let it. It can drive our behavior, if we let it. It is important to keep fear in perspective. Anytime we are thinking about making a change, bettering ourselves, or finding new success, fear is likely to show up. Author Susan Jeffers says we should feel the fear and do it anyway. (Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Fawsett Book Group) Taking action helps us to move through fear.

Action needs to be purposeful. We need to be clear about what it is that we want. Without a clear vision there is starting and stopping, hesitation, and feeling stuck. Whether I am reinventing myself for spiritual, personal or business success (or all of the above), I need to make sure of what I want. What would it look like, feel like, sound like? Am I willing to go the distance? For example, if I want to be a more loving person, am I willing to stay loving even when others may act hateful toward me?

Once I am clear about where I want to go or what I want to become, I may still feel afraid. Author Jan Forrest says: "By asking ourselves what we are afraid of, and acknowledging its hold on us, we intuit which keys will unlock the door of our self imposed stockade." (Awakening the Spirit Within, Heart to Heart Press) Fears need to be faced. Sometimes we are afraid to know what we are afraid of. I have learned that my demons, no matter how horrible they may seem, are created by me. Their bark is always greater than their bite. Sometimes my fears really give me a good laugh, because they can be quite silly.

I ask myself: "What's the worst thing that can happen?" Often the worst thing that can happen is nothing, and nothing is what will happen if I don't act. A Course in Miracles says: "Look at what you are afraid of. Only the anticipation will frighten you." (Foundation for Inner Peace) In my book, The Road Home, (Transformative Press) I talk about the fear of abandonment in relationships. I found that I feared abandonment and rejection so much that I wanted it to hurry up and happen. Once I was abandoned I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. I laughed when I had that realization.

Seeing that I had survived all previous abandonment's and moved on to other relationships, I let go of the fear. My partner was free to stay or leave, and I would be just fine. I learned that I could never be abandoned because God and "I" would always be with me. I reinvented myself as a person who could feel secure in a loving partnership.

Another factor that stops us from moving forward is the payoff we are getting for staying right where we are. Prosperity teacher Reverend Edwene Gaines says: "Indebtedness is a socially acceptable way to punish ourselves." Indebtedness, then, is a burden I have placed upon myself. It fulfills a need to punish myself for past sins. Indebtedness is not the only burden we can assign ourselves. For some of us it is extra weight on our bodies, having to take care of others, too much work to do, or too many tasks we don't enjoy doing.

The opposite of feeling burdened is to be free. If I want to reinvent myself as a free person -- free of debt, free of extra weight, free of obligation, or free of certain work--I need to stop punishing myself. I need to forgive myself. Guilt is my payoff. I can tell myself that I am still okay even if I sinned, because I am punishing myself. Can I be okay if I don't punish myself? Can I face whatever sins I think I have committed and accept myself? Am I willing to hand over this burden to Spirit? Suffering is an option. The burden I have carried is my story, and I have decided that it is a story that no longer interests me. It's like a movie I have seen too many times.

As I write this article I find myself in the midst, once again, of reinventing myself. Once we are committed, things start to happen. When I commit to cocreating a new vision for myself, all of those parts of me that need healing show up. In other words, sometimes things get worse before they get better. I've got a handle on it this time. All of the things that are happening to me right now are good.

I'm experiencing some pain in my body, and I feel a great sense of joy. It is not clear to me how some financial needs will be met, yet, today I enthusiastically and joyously tithed to a wonderful source of spiritual food for me. I have big dreams for my speaking and writing, but I don't know how it is going to happen. It is all good. I am where I want to be. This is not being positive on the surface while suffering underneath. I'm just not too attached to what is happening. The physical aspects are not making me feel any particular way. I'm choosing to feel great. It is what I want.

Yes, being free of pain would feel great. Yes, knowing exactly how much money and when it comes would be nice. Yes, seeing more evidence of my big dreams would be wonderful. Reinventing yourself is not about physical manifestation. It is about how you feel. So, I'm already there. I feel joyous. I feel free. I feel prosperous and successful. I'm not worried about the manifestation, because it is coming. The Universe always delivers.

If it is time to reinvent yourself, don't get too carried away with your to do list. Start making up your "to feel" list. Clarify your "Who do I want to be?" list. The person you want to be is already within you. The feelings you want to feel are already in you. You are fully equipped for success, with the resources of Spirit ready to assist. You are an extraordinary being, and your good is coming to you in extraordinary ways.