SEA OF CHANGE ::
Life often happens before we are ready, and when big shifts (job change, move, birth, death, break up, success, etc.) come calling, it can throw off our sense of balance. The circumstances or situations we rely upon as expected suddenly vanish, and it's only normal for us to scramble to find something solid to hold onto.
To dare to lose one’s footing, not to dare is to lose oneself. -Soren Kierkegaard
HOW DO YOU SEE CHANGE?
The story we are telling ourselves is responsible for how we experience change. When something is unknown or unfamiliar the mind and body can view it as a threat to our existence, and queue up our central nervous system to fire the sympathetic switch (welcome to the fear train). But we don't have to go down that road of fear and worry, we can short-circuit that response by telling ourselves a different story.
What if losing our grounding and sense of safety is a good thing? Stay with me here, what if we see change not as a villain, but as a catalyst to make us step into situations we would usually avoid? Often we don't take the risky choices in life because we like control. Personally, I know how easy it is to grip tightly to the familiar, but what if you need a good rocking of your comfort zone? What if being tossed into a sea of change brings you to something shiny, bright and beautiful?
THE BEST THINGS ARE OFTEN UNPLANNED
One of my coaching clients, which I will name Joanne, found herself in an unhealthy work environment. No matter what she did, nothing was ever enough for her boss and after a year she was depressed, exhausted, overweight, isolated and, even though she made good money, was getting into debt with overspending as her only source of happiness. So, she quit, without a plan of what to do, she knew you couldn't work there one more day because the job was literally killing her. She boldly jumped into the unknown.
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller
CHANGE IS EXCITING
The honest truth is I don't go outside my comfort zone unless I have to, okay, forced to. Yes, I love to travel and adventure, but only if I create it. Over the last the last months of my life, I have come to find a new way to view change. I was afraid of change because I wasn't comfortable with releasing control. But controlling our lives is not only impossible, it's boring.
A well-planned life can feel "safe" but often we aren't' living into our true purpose. By surrendering into the unknown of each day, we trust in God's plan, not our own. This makes room for experiencing life with an open and adventurous heart.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. -Joshua 1:9
Here are five benefits of how change makes you better.
- Change makes us better, offering a fresh approach to what might be stagnant in our lives.
- Change challenges us. We become resilient and flex our muscles of courage.
- Change is not personal. Change is something that happens to all of us and is the natural flow of life.
- Change frees you up. Let go and enjoy the present moment without the need to control things.
- Change gives us perspective. When we are free from worry and control we have a different way of seeing and being in the world.
