The nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. Change is one of our greatest fears. But, sometimes our lives have to be shaken up and completely rearranged to relocate us to the place we were meant to be. To shake us out of the known, the comfortable, the status quo. Change happens around us and change happens to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. Change is a loss. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong. Buddha says, “Change is never painful. Only resistance to change is painful.”
Human resistance to change is innate. How can we break through our need to resist? You must choose growth over fear. Refuse to disappoint yourself! Work through the following steps:
Identify the ending and the loss. When you identify your loss, it just helps.
Ask questions -- gain understanding. These might just be questions for yourself.
Focus on what you CAN do; not what you can’t do. What do you have power to control?
Some examples are: Your effort; Your priorities; What you believe; Your happiness; How open-minded you are; What you think about; What you talk about.
Develop a perspective of opportunity… of possibilities.
Step out of your current perspective and take a different look.
Open your mind to growing.
Look for benefits; pros and cons. Benefits to the change, not to your loss.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” -Socrates
When you find yourself in the wrong story, write a new chapter! Accept your new reality. Nothing will ever happen without your readiness to make it happen. Embrace change, and leverage your love for the outcome to modify your behavior, give you courage to act, or to replace old habits with new ones. Change isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a new beginning.
Life is a series of new beginnings.
