Make the Change

Fear of change has been haunting us since birth.  It doesn’t matter if we really like our current circumstances or not, the fear of the unknown has held people back from doing things different since the beginning of time.  Familiarity provides a blanket of comfort, even if it’s old, musty and scratchy we know what to expect from it.  We are very aware of exactly how it will make us feel and Change is folded up in a new box.  We can read the name of it on the outside.  We usually know what it will cost us and what it is made of but what we don’t know is how it will make us feel.  If it will be any better or worse than the blanket we already have. 

So how do we win?  I remember going to the pool for the first time with my family and my father picking me up and throwing me in the water.  I didn’t like it.  Fear and anxiety literally swirling around me.  But then I realized something.  My feet were on the bottom of the pool and I was standing up.  And there were other kids playing and having fun.  And some of them were swimming.  And they were all about my age.  At that point I realized not only was there nothing for me to be afraid of but I could actually enjoy this a lot more than watching from the side.  My dad didn’t ask me if I wanted to go in.  He didn’t try to convince me that it would be fun and I would learn to love swimming.  He just picked me up and threw me in.  The easiest way to get through change is to face it head on.  Very cliché of course but the less time you spend dwelling on every possible outcome the more time you give yourself to adapt and adjust.  You are awesome, and you will make the best of the situation.  You know this is true because your past is littered with proof and examples.  Depending out what the change is centered around can make it feel like a daunting task ahead of you and maybe it is.  But the truth is you are capable of accomplishing anything and the first step in adapting to change is embracing it from the very beginning.  When tossed in a pool of water you don’t have much of a choice and sometimes we are literally tossed in with no warning.  The sooner we recover from the initial shock and get our bearings then the sooner we can wrap our arms around it and make the best decisions about how we will thrive in this new environment.  The longer you resist and fight it the longer it will take for you to settle in and thrive.  Embrace it with a positive attitude and you will be in a much better position whether its professionally, personally or spiritually.