Can you relate to this?
How often have you embarked on some type of change in your life filled with enthusiasm and energy for what lies ahead, only to find yourself in a state of resistance, fear and dread days, if not moments, later. What’s up with that?
I certainly have – many times over! The idea of change initially fills me with excitement – “yes, this is what I want to create in my life!” And then, quite often, the very next voice I hear is the one telling me how hard it is going to be – how difficult change is in general. And sometimes, it even goes on to ask why should I have to change anyway? This experience or situation doesn’t seem to bother anyone else so what’s the big deal? Sound familiar at all?
Change is Constant
For me, desiring change in my life is almost a constant. There is almost always something that I want to create or that I hope to integrate – a new behavior, a certain habit, the realization of my creative ideas. And if I’m honest, some of these desires have been monkeys on my back for a very long time! Anyone relate?
Recently, I was reviewing my goals, my dreams, the habits of my daily life, and the way that I want to feel in my life. It was easy for me to identify very quickly the things that I want to change – either start doing more consistently or stop doing as frequently or at all. And there it was – “oh, this is going to be hard! Blah, blah, blah!”
Then it occurred to me – maybe, this is the hardest part of the whole process of change – shifting my mindset – altering my interpretation of change. What if I thought of change as an adventure?
Sometimes, my yoga instructor will encourage us to “go somewhere new” as we are practicing the poses. It is so easy to keep doing the same thing over and over in any area of our lives. Not that this is necessarily wrong or bad – sometimes familiar, comfortable and efficient is great – but, I for one, don’t think I want a whole life of that! How about you?
Go Somewhere New
Go somewhere new – what does that stir up? Excitement, a bit of fear, resistance, the thought that I can’t go any further….hmmm. So, if change is an adventure, then it must mean that there will be parts of that journey that I can’t see yet – parts that I may not even know exist at all! Exciting. Scary.
The important thing to remember is that if we are aware of a desire to change something – if we are feeling bored or uncomfortable – then some part of us is ready for the adventure!
Celebrating Change – Is it Possible?
You already know what this life you have is about – if you like all parts of it, then I would say you are in the adventure already! I often feel like “been there done that” in certain parts of my life – I want to see something new – something different – maybe, not every single day, but as a general rule in life. How can we see something different if we don’t look through different eyes or worse, if we have our eyes closed?
To experience something new, you have to go somewhere new – try something new – think something new.
So, I say let’s celebrate change for the adventure it is – let’s embrace it because it is going to happen anyway. Notice resistance and fear when it comes up – reassure yourself and then pay attention for the waves of excitement that will certainly arise as well – and celebrate that!
Let’s get started!
What is your experience with change?
Do you create it? Resist it? A bit of both?
How does your perception change when you think of it as an adventure?