It’s a fact of life, an inevitability and yet so many of us remain in resistant to it. Some even go so far as to remain in a situation that makes them unhappy (miserable even) in order to avoid it.
Change.
We’ve all heard the messages from clichés, songs, movies, books… no one can change your life except for you; change the way you look at things and the things you look at change; if you can’t change it, change your attitude; there is nothing permanent except change; be the change you wish to see in the world (and the list goes on…)
For many people, change denotes fear, facing the unknown or moving out of a comfort zone…but what if we shifted our perspective instead, considering that change may bring opportunity, possibility, happiness, contentment, and fulfillment. There’s, at most, a 50/50 chance of negative vs positive outcomes. Be active in what you chose to place your belief in.
Focus goes where energy flows.
When we place our focus on worrying about the negative, we attract negative energy and thus are more likely to create a self-perpetuating negative outcome. So it stands to reason that when we place energy in the positive, believing in our own ability to withstand change, we attract more opportunity in our lives.
I have worked with many clients to improve their relationship with change. A simple technique to begin choosing our response to change rather than passively assuming a negative bias is to counterbalance the inner critic – presented with change, the ‘what ifs’ can compound any sense of anxiety or worry. So for every negative thought, counterbalance with one or two positive.
For example, “what if it doesn’t work out?” – “what if everything works out and I’m way happier?”
“what if I can’t do it?” – “what if I’m more capable than I give myself credit for?”
Change is as inevitable as the sunrise and sunset and is merely an opportunity for growth.