Encountering Change is an unavoidable fact of life. It is a given. You cannot escape it. It is ingrained in the DNA of life itself. Change is a life teacher, one of the greatest you will get to encounter, so why not getting along with it?! Once you master change, everything gets easier. Just consider this fact for yourself, rather than taking my word for it. Breath and take a moment to disengage from the distractions around you and reflect on this notion. Look around you! Despite the routines, schedules, to-do lists and reminders that we implement in our lives, there is always something unplanned and unexpected.
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The Certainty of Change
... and that offers a new way of experiencing life
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Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Regardless of the extent to which we endeavour to exercise control over our own life and the lives of others, this remains an unavoidable aspect of our existence.Unfortunately, whether we realise it or not, most of us still do our best to make sure things happen “the right way” (aka “my way”). Just think of simple things like:
- How many times a phone call from a friend you haven’t heard in a long time changed for the better your whole day?!
- Does the lovely birdsong outside sound the same every day, or is it ever changing?
- I would love to know: how often has your little one surprised you with something you never thought they could do?
- Do you remember how it felt when your beloved “furniture with fur” Persian cat did something that drove you insane?
- How many times did you vote for a party or a city mayor who turned out to do exactly the opposite of what he promised
- What about the months and sleepless nights you and your amazing team put into developing that new digital service? It was all so exciting! Sadly, for unknown reasons, it had to be taken off the market just before the launch.
And I’m sure you can think of loads of other changes you had to deal with out of the blue. Each and every time you were more or less forced to make a choice. If you were lucky, somehow you knew that change had to happen. Somehow you have been expecting it and that made it easier to embrace.
Change is the teacher
... we approach life experiences peacefully
There’s also something very clear and obvious about the change! To various degrees, we are all reluctant to change. It makes us uncomfortable because it takes us out of our comfort zone. It forces us to quit the illusion we can control people, things, businesses, life in general. And, and some of you may already know by now, surrender control is one of those very important fundamental lessons we need to learn, so we can navigate life easier and smoother.
So, we established that change is inevitable. But, no matter how inconvenient or how scary it is, change brings a tremendous opportunity for personal growth … if we choose this path. Ultimately, progress is a matter of choice. Just as well, we can choose or at least try to keep things the way they are as it gives us the false impression of safety.
But, as I tell everyone who visits the ChakanaVibes Centre, nothing in life is compulsory. You can decide how to use the information you receive. We’ve always got choices. We just have to accept the responsibilities and consequences of the choices we make. And this is true of all the changes we make in life.
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Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
But, as I tell everyone who visits the ChakanaVibes Centre, nothing in life is compulsory. You can decide how to use the information you receive. We’ve always got choices. We just have to accept the responsibilities and consequences of the choices we make. And this is true of all the changes we make in life.
If you’ve had the patience to get this far, congratulations! I’m sure you’ve found some of the things I shared with you to be really interesting, and I hope you’re feeling open to making some changes. If that’s the case, then you’re in the right place, because the next few paragraphs are going to give you some great tips on how to make those changes.
Accept and embrace change
Discover the benefits of doing so!
To really change—whether this means to get better, heal, move on in life or improve, we have to be open to the idea that there might be better and different ways than what we already know and practice. In other words, be willing to change your perspectives on things in general. We need to challenge the status quo, personal or professional … as the change trigger may show up in different areas of our life. It’s important that we do the best we can to understand what brought us to this situation and what we can learn from it. In such cases, we are asked to question what we know as sure and safe, while accepting and embracing the fears it comes along with—instead of denying them. Pushing them away won’t help you, that is for sure.
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The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
Alan Wilson Watts
When you’re ready to embrace change, you’ll start to feel much more mentally and emotionally balanced. This will help you to grow and make positive changes in your life. Last but not least important, on this path of change what can help you tremendously is to trust the guidance of your heart, soul, intuition, God, the Universe, call it as you like. Believe that things will be great again!
Change is the teacher, a Grandmaster Life Teacher. Show it the respect it deserves and appreciate it accordingly. Show your gratitude for the opportunities you have been given. Take the time you need to process things at your own pace. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Most importantly, forgive yourself for any wrongdoings to yourself and others, misunderstandings and “all those things that might have been”.
P.S. If you’ve read to the end and are wondering, “And that’s it?”, you’re right. Change management involves a few more things on top of that, as it is not without reasons change is a teacher. I will share more tips and tricks on how to manage change—personal and professional, in my next articles.
