Recently, a coaching client was having trouble seeing the amazing shifts in her life. She could only see that she is still at the same job, her house is not remodeled, the yard is still not planted.

I asked her to look with her heart, instead of her eyes.

Suddenly she could see so many changes in herself, her environment, how she is showing up in the world. She realized that she is not reacting at work, that she is engaging more with her live-in father-in-law. She is so aware of how much more balance she feels in her moods and her body.

Big changes happen INSIDE first.

It's as if we must rebuild from the ground up.

Often, when we are ready for change, we first have to redefine our priorities. We need to get clear about our values. We must create space for ourselves in order for changes to grow.

And of course, this takes time. And work. And faith.

And it takes stepping back from what we see on the surface and looking INSIDE, with our heart, to see that our true self is changing.

Ruth Davis is a Creative Living Coach and the founder of Spark the Heart. In addition to one-on-one coaching, she leads workshops and retreats that combine practical coaching techniques with creativity and play to spark her clients' deepest passions and dreams. Ruth's greatest passion is engaging with and encouraging others to explore who they really are and how they want to create and live a more passionate, more purposeful life. Click here to read her story.