C H A N G E
Images by Brooke Richardson Photography
“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?”
C H A N G E. Depending on your mindset/circumstance, change can be welcomed or dreaded. Accepted or resisted.
If you're stuck in a job you hate and are suddenly offered your dream job, change is pretty great. If that dream job is across the country in a completely unfamiliar city, away from family and friends...it might seem daunting and stressful.
“LIfe is about change. Sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it’s beautiful. But most of the time, it’s both.”
Some people naturally thrive on change - even seek it. Some avoid and resent it. And some fall somewhere in between. Where are you?
However, no matter where you fall on the spectrum, change is inevitable. As they say, the only constant is change. So since we know it's a given, let's talk about tips for accepting it.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
1. View it as a developmental opportunity.
As Socrates advises, the trick is to stay forward-focused. Try to minimize time spent reflecting on how great things were pre-change. Try to emphasize the positives the change will bring - or at the very least, the opportunity for you to incorporate positivity.
Decide to make it as beneficial and enjoyable as possible. It's happening - and it's ENTIRELY within your power to make it a good thing. Instead of focusing on loss, focus on gain, particularly regarding your power. Change can leave us feeling powerless, so spin it and focus on the power you DO have - and how you'll use it to your benefit.
Change is a fantastic opportunity for us to step into our full potential and become a better person than we were before. If you reject change, you'll deny yourself - and the world - the chance to become all you can be, thereby denying the world your full talents and gifts. Please don't do that!
“Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed, and rearranged to relocate us to the place we’re meant to be.”
2. Trust everything happens for a reason.
Know the universe is conspiring for you, not against you. Think back on every significant change you've experienced thus far. If you're anything like me, the changes that sucked the most to endure were the changes for which I was ultimately most grateful. They taught me the most/improved my life the most.
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
3. Know you are not alone.
Everyone feels doubtful and uncertain sometimes. These feelings are 100% normal, and the sooner you recognize and accept this, the sooner you will reach peace. Acknowledge your emotions, feel them without repressing them, and let them float on their way.
4. Allow others to support you.
Let others help you. Please don't enable pride to prevent you from doing so. If you lack supportive friends/family, seek out other resources to help with what you need, whether it's a moving company, support group, etc. Chances are, you're not the first one to go through this change, so there are likely established resources to ease your adjustment. We're all in this together!!
“Sometimes the place you are used to is not the place you belong.”
5. Take care of yourself.
Now more than ever is a crucial time for you to practice self-care. Eat nutritious food. Move and stretch your body. Ensure sufficient rest. Practice meditation, or at least incorporate down time into your days. Take care of you, so you can meet the change(s) with your best self.
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.”
xx,
-w-
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
