I thought you would enjoy this article written by Lori Marini of LovingGypsySoul.com
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”
~Charles Darwin
Change. The word alone makes most of us cringe. As humans, most of us do not like change unless we are at the helm of it.
Change is tricky. Change is scary. If things are outside of our control, we mostly will challenge any form of change: small changes like your partner switching the side of the bed you sleep on or significant changes like your being forced to take a 6:30 am virtual meeting when your day typically begins at 9:00 am. Both can cause a massive upset in your daily routine.
Believe it or not, you can embrace and welcome change. Many would say you must first get to the root cause of your resistance. You must first dig deep and look into the root cause of why your reaction the way it is to the change: Is something in the past that didn’t work out the way you intended? Is it ingrained in you based on an experience in your childhood? Is this something that you’ve never encountered before, and you don’t know how to be? Let’s discuss what happens when change is not something you anticipated.
The first step in approaching change that may have taken you by surprise is to understand this is not personal. Allowing this fact to sink to the core of your being is empowering and will free you to see the real reason why you are bothered. This nugget also serves as a reminder that some change has nothing to do with you. Get that change is just happening all around you and grazes your world.
Second, get that no matter what you say or do, sometimes you must surrender. Meaning if the decision as already made (i.e., your coworker received a promotion over you, your favorite corner coffee shop is closing, or your bestie decides they are moving across the country). These things are not happening because you are a terrible person or have bad karma. They are happening independently of your behavior, and sometimes there is no room for negotiation. You must accept these events are happening, and you may not be happy with the change.
Third, look for alternative ways on how you can create positive and productive change in your life. Believe it or not, most change IS within our control. Being successful with change is 100% tied to your acceptance of yourself (the good and bad) and the circumstances at hand. I like to think of it as our fight or flight response. With accepting change, you ultimately have two choices: 1. You can get on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride since you are already anticipating the loss of control. 2. You can cry the whole way down, kicking and screaming because the operator has wronged you. How dare he?!
*In every moment in life, you have the power of acceptance and change. Your in-the-moment decision, the reactionary one that comes from a place deep down where you stuff all of your anger, hurt, and mistrust from long ago, will always have you behaving in a way you may regret.
It is imperative when confronted with change, ask yourself why am I not being accepting? Is this my true self, or is this reaction from a decision I made long ago, and I stuffed it deep down inside?
Recognizing this differentiation in the present moment is crucial to responding to change with acceptance and love.
As a life coach, I also worked with clients in creating a new reality around the changes. I tell them to DREAM BIG. I believe that you can start your journey toward acceptance by creating a new future for yourself.
Acceptance of how you are, how others are, and the world’s current status allows us to focus on the core of the issue and create an alternative way of being that will ultimately result in positive change.
For example, sometimes, this change is minimal, like deciding not to have sugar in your coffee. Other times this change is life-changing, like cutting sugar out of your diet entirely because you are borderline diabetic. Both of these changes are challenging yet result in a positive outcome of fewer cavities and less need for insulin.
The more you allow your life to evolve, the more you will roll with the punches, the more you will find yourself dreaming.
Peace, Love, and Happiness. Coach Lori
Lori is a Certified Life and Wellness Coach, Holistic Living enthusiast, Reiki practitioner, and a Certified Pathologist Assistant working the past 20 years in an academic oncologic setting. Her mission is to support those warriors and their loved ones to create a new journey post-diagnosis and treatment.
To learn more about Coach Lori here is a link to her website.
