The old is passed. The new is here.
CHANGE
The only constant in life is change.
What is change? According to Webster, the word “change” means to make or become different. Change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.
Change is inevitable and a natural process of life.
Personally, I have experienced a heck of a lot of changes in the past yar: Relocation. New love. Engagement. Death. Marriage. New job. That is a lot of change for one person in a short amount of time!
Change can leave us anxious, worried, confused, and excited. How do we cope with all of these feelings and emotions? My father would say that rather than resisting the change or the problem, we should embrace it head on…the difficulties, the losses, and the joys. Doing so will allow us to meet the change wholeheartedly right away instead of hiding from it for years in misery.
I am learning to embrace the change of a life without my father. While the pain of my loss is real and must be felt, I must begin to live my own life again. Whether you are experiencing the loss of a parent, moving to a new city, starting a new job, or removing yourself from an abusive relationship, you have the power within yourself to let go, accept change and move forward. How?
We need to meet the change head on with a plan.
Acceptance. Come to the point that the change is a reality. You may have lost your job, your lover, or your parent. Accepting that it is real is the first step toward change and moving forward.
Grab a pad of paper and a pen. Make a list. What do you need to do to move forward? What do you need to do to embrace the changes and make them a positive in your life? For example, I have moved many times to many cities from California to New York City. I made a plan so I wasn’t overwhelmed. I researched and made lists and wrote things down. Moving? Study the map of the city. Learn the neighborhoods. Make a list of the restaurants you want to try. Find a gym to join. Discover the nearest coffee shop. Ask around if anyone can introduce you to people in the area. Make a list and tackle things one by one. It should reduce your anxiety to the change by being informed. Information and planning is powerful.
Get rid of the negative. Release negative thoughts about a scary new future. Abandon the comfortableness outdated thoughts of the past which no longer serve your potential and inner growth. The way things were are no longer. Getting rid of the old makes room for the new.
Invite the new into your life. Make way for the new, the fresh and vital energy that encompass the new changes. Although, there may be some anxiety, envisioning a fresh new future of possibilities is exciting. The slate is blank and the future is yours to make!
Give yourself time. Embrace change wholeheartedly but realize that changing takes time. Give yourself permission to take some time to understand the process.
Changing things requires the courage to abandon the comfortable status quo and to break into the unknow of what could be. This requires faith, sacrifice and hard work. You have the power within yourself to live the life you wholeheartedly desire regardless of any change, loss or difficult situation. The old has passed. The new is here! You are a new creation. Today I thank God for my blessings and chances to begin anew with my new realities and new changes in my life. Today is day 1.
