ch ch ch changes...

i had a very deep discussion with a friend of mine on change...

we both came to the conclusion that a life with no changes from day to day is a sobering thought...

change is good...change is necessary...change brings new life and new opportunities...change leads you into ways you were not expecting...change can be growth...change keeps you from dying bit by bit...

embrace change!

i believe change comes in two ways...sometimes you decide you need a change, and you make the choice to move on...sometimes fate hands you a change you weren't expecting...both kinds of change are hard in different ways...

change that you decide to make gives you time to consider all the options and alternatives on the front end - new job, new boss, new place to live, new marital status, whatever...on the front end of this change decision, there obviously has to be a catalyst that shows life not to be what you wanted it to be - poor pay, being passed over for promotion, unsatisfactory working conditions, unresolvable conflict...

at first it's like a trapeze artist trying to jump off the platform to catch the swing....you think and think about how to hold onto the past in some way and just make a few adjustments...

obviously that doesn't work for long, so you have to move to additional actions - learning to let go, then turning your full attention to the new...and that's where change gets scary...for a moment in time, you are suspended in midair between past and future...this is when you find out what stuff you're made of...

the other kind of traumatic change is the kind that is thrust on you from a secondary source: your job is downsized, someone you love walks out, you face a catastrophic illness...now you're in a quick-change mode where a new plan has to be made in a hurry - no time to think or evaluate...big life transitions come whether we're ready or not...

first, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and take a step...sure, you're scared...sure, you feel unprepared to go on...you are uncertain where your best resources are...fear is OK...but standing still and whining only intensifies fear...take a step...move in some direction...

second, sudden change sometimes moves you in a direction that turns out better than you ever imagined...let unexpected changes bring you some things you really wanted - a new part of the country, new friends, a new profession...since everthing is up in the air anyway, throw in the changes you would like to see happen...

third, make lemonade...i have this card that i keep...it is a picture of an oil painting of a lemon placed in my journal to remind me to make lemonade when life hands me a sack full of lemons...somehow, get a positive slant on the situation - not always an easy thing...i know...but if you can see a tiny piece of the change that has a positive slant, you can begin to build on that...

fourth, embrace the change...it is a part of your life now...whether you wanted it or not...resistance to change takes a lot of energy and prevents you from moving on to enjoy life...yes, i said enjoy life...move on...

pray for guidance...remember, you are still measuring life with a very short stick...God is measuring your life by eternity...He knows how this experience fits into the total picture...trust Him...

i have had a lot of changes in my life - some shocking, some sad, some planned, and some where i went kicking and screaming every step of the way...but something good has come out of every change...as i bend into the pain of transition...i find myself growing stronger and able to do things i never thought i would do...and most of the time i was able to understand that, yes, the change left me in a more favorable situation than before...