How to Think About Change and the Lessons It Teaches You

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Change – What is it teaching us? Change is hard not just today, but every day. And change has the ability to feel even more difficult when it is “forced” upon us. Many of us are feeling more frustrated than we ever have at any point in our lives due to the daily conditions that now exist – from being forced to “shelter in place” to having to wear a mask to enter stores for essentials to not being able to have access to even the simplest of things that made us feel good – like getting a haircut.

Rewind to just after the New Year – many of us were ready to show our New Year Resolutions who was boss, jet off to the next travel destination on our must-see list and reach new professional goals. Some of us had just recovered from an injury or were finally courageous enough to begin a new venture. And now almost all of us feel blindsided, and quite frankly defeated at times.

But I ask you this – life can be like yoga – so just because a pose is getting hard – will you give up? Or will you channel restraint and resolve to hold the pose and dig deeper? Will you realize you are right where you are at for a reason and be bold enough to seek it?

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” – Henri Bergson

We’re in a space in time where everything feels hard. From going to the grocery store to ordering essentials to navigating complex business deals – it’s hard right now to find the comfort we so desperately are seeking. Our ability to keep pushing forward is feeling diminished and our light within that burned bright is beginning to dwindle.

But consider this – just because where you are today isn’t where you thought you would be, it doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t get to your intended destination. It does mean however that it is time to course correct. The winds of change have blown all of us off course and now it’s time for a new plan. 

In order to do this, we must manage our emotional and mental state with care. It is SO easy to get lost in a barrage of negative news, deeply emotional conversations with others and become overwhelmed by fear that seems to be everywhere we turn. Now is the time to cultivate an active practice of conditioning yourself with healthy perspective. The healthier your mind is and the more thoughtfully your emotions are managed, the better your decision ability will be to help you course correct. 

Here are a couple quick changes you can make:

• Turn to news sources that you trust – get the facts – and then go on with your day. Do not listen to endless hours of media on end. This is a sure fire way to harm your mental state.
• Every morning when you get up – literally say “thank you, thank you, thank you” as the late great Wayne Dyer always did. This simple step literally sets your outlook instantly in a positive direction the moment your feet hit the floor.
• Feed your mind with uplifting podcasts, music, and books. Your mind is a muscle and what you feed it, it will magnify.
• Write three things that were positive in your day at the close of every day. This will help you celebrate even the smallest wins – maybe you washed your hair today for example. Sounds silly but right now even the smallest of things like caring for ourselves seems like a lot.

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn

So, it brings me back to my initial question – change, what is it teaching us? Maybe it is to understand that nothing ever is or ever was or ever will be permanent (and that is ok). Maybe it is teaching us to understand the beauty of growing through things that are stretching us to our limits. Maybe the lesson is to have more grace and empathy for others and ourselves. Or, maybe we are supposed to understand that there will always be more than one way to get to an intended goal or destination. 

For thousands of years, change has looked much like a foe – an enemy that must be defeated by a resolve to remain the same. But what if, finally, we concede that we’ve had it all wrong. That change is necessary for all of mankind to continue thriving, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. 

What if 2020 with all of its pain points, disappointments, and frustrations has been the shake-up that was essential for all us to achieve new levels of success? It may be time to accept that change is not a foe, but rather a long lost friend that has finally made its way back to us looking to guide, protect and elevate us.

How do you deal with change? Share any strategies or thoughts you have on change below!