change can be exhilarating.
yet scary at the same time.
as we embrace new possibilities
that come from positive change,
we are often forced to let go
of things that are recognizable to us.
situations, places, belongings, people.
and that can bring up all kinds
of conflicting emotions.
the feel-good feelings are usually what’s behind
the reasons we pursue change.
but how do we handle the unfavorable ones
that also arise?
grief is essential to change.
(whether it’s positive or negative.)
through grief, we attempt to reconcile
with our changed world.
without this natural – though sometimes painful – process,
the change could potentially stop us in our tracks.
we need this mechanism, this tool,
to deal with the altered state of our lives.
and fear.
the threat of change can most definitely lead to fear.
a perfectly valid feeling to have.
but is the fear itself valid and rational?
we often second-guess ourselves.
(“is this what i really want?”)
because we get frightened.
if everything is pointing to GO, then we mustn’t back down.
or relinquish our goals.
we must acknowledge and accept the feelings
that we are experiencing.
and boldly continue on our path
to improved well-being.
change is necessary in most worthwhile journeys.
but it’s not easy.
there is no escaping the fact that it is difficult.
all change involves the ending of familiarity.
we know deep down that we must move on though.
not changing is no longer an option.
giving up our current comfortable state
is symbolic of giving up the mindset that no longer fits.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
know that change is an ongoing process,
not a quick fix.
congratulate yourself for all you’ve accomplished so far.
take a deep cleansing breath, and exhale slowly.
push forward – in thought and in action.
approach CHANGE as you would a beautifully wrapped gift,
waiting to be opened . . .
with eager anticipation and a sense of wonderment.
you’re not sure what’s inside.
but you’re eager to find out.
because change is exciting.
change is rewarding
change signals growth.
how do you respond to positive change?
do you embrace it?
even hunt it down?
or do you hide from it?
ignore the messages around you?
please leave me a comment.
i love hearing from you.
It depends :). I embrace some change and run from other change. There’s one area of my life where I allow fear to rule.
i’m guessing that having insight and awareness of what you do fear can prove helpful to you as you experience that change. and i agree, leanne – some experiences are easier to face and embrace than others.
I agree with Leanne. Some things feel like positive changes, while other “positive” change feels negative. The biggest change happening for me right now is my oldest heading off to Kindergarten in two weeks, and my little one going to pre-school. There are some moments of fear, but overall I’m doing my best to embrace it as the growing up of two (still) very little girls.
thinking of you, jessica, as you head into this new chapter with your little girls.
I think you’ve got it, April: It’s all in the attitude we have toward change. Like Leanne, I’m fine with some change. But — wow! — other changes get me running like crazy. Perhaps next time I will pause and graciously accept the gift of change!
i believe it takes practice to develop that attitude, marie. and still some change will surprise and perhaps derail us (at least temporarily)! but the more we embrace and accept change, the smoother our lives will flow.
Our society has adopted the maxim, “Failure is not an option.” By doing so we stop people from even trying to change and be successful. What we should be doing is realizing that each failure brings us closer to success. The problem is whenever failure is not option we cease trying.
I ultimately believe change will bring you to a positive place if you take yourself there. When change finds you someplace you’re unhappy or not in control, the good thing about change is you can decide to change again.
yes, fred – without failure we cannot experience growth. and we can always begin again.
I need to send this to a few of my clients that have major fears around any unfamiliar change.
I like to embrace change, but can usually feel if a certain change is right for me or not.
that’s a great point you’ve brought up, phillipa. the more we engage in self-introspection, the easier it is to find that intuitive voice that guides us in the right direction. (i hope your clients enjoy my post – thanks for sharing.)
I completely agree with your premise that it’s all about how you approach change. Change is inevitable, so you may as well embrace it!
thanks, laura. we can’t escape change, can we? so we have to adjust our thinking.
As someone who teaches people how to make positive changes in their lives I use getting older to explain change. Everyday we wake up to a new day, we’ve no choice about that as long as we continue to breathe. Every new thing we learn, every new food we taste changes us, so whether we realise it or not we are CONSTANTLY changing. Because we can do all that so easily, we can just as easily change other things.
One way to make doing that easier is to do ONE thing different EVERYDAY, it makes embracing change so much easier and normal – it just comes down to our attitude.
I LOVE change and completely embrass it – it’s always an exciting opportunity.
useful tool for helping people accept change in their lives. thanks for commenting, mairead.
in the end i embrace change, but at times it comes with resistance! and thats part of the process!
i just moved back to singapore 3 months ago, and its been a hard couple of months, and its made re-evaluate alot of things, and its also hard because people change and so have I and some friends, I have totally disconnected with, so its part of life and you need to accept, learn and move on!
yes, yasmine – resistance to change is definitely a common reaction for most of us. good luck with your transition back to singapore. (by the way, my older son traveled there last december and really liked it! :))
Personally, I LOVE change. I tend to get bored easily and so create change every so often. It’s different however when change occurs when you least expect it and you don’t have any control over it. Change in this instance can become uncomfortable…even scary! I agree, change should be embraced and accepted from every angle. If we learn to master this, our stress levels would be so much lower!
sonja – change can definitely shake things up for us. and that can make life more exciting. but, yeah – sometimes it can catch us completely off guard. that’s when it’s nice to have tools in place so that we can adjust more easily to our altered lives.