As Heraclitus famously said “the only constant is change.”
We should be getting pretty good at dealing with change by now, right? Well, no. I mean, it is challenging when you are faced with different changes every day. So this is a life long pursuit- gracefully working with changes. With intentional awareness and practice, we can get better at working with change and even having gratitude for it.
Today I am thinking about self change. Here are a few thoughts:
- It is okay to change your mind and you don’t have to justify it to anyone. Explain if necessary, but not justify. Have gratitude for the fact that you have the freedom to change your mind and go in a different direction.(this one is partly for the college students who aren’t connecting with what they are studying or where.)
- Season’s changing allows for a richer experience of the Earth we live on and the life we live in. Have gratitude for the different beauty in nature that we get to enjoy. In Vermont this time of year you can sometimes enjoy all four seasons in one day!
- Being willing to change your mindset takes courage and vulnerability. Have gratitude for your innate ability to change, even when it is hard to do. And if it is hard to do, you are on to something big! Change your thinking, change your life.
- If you have been following the same schedule for a long time- changing it up can be so healthy for you body, mind and spirit. Have gratitude for the fact that some things are within your control and this is one of them. We all have different degrees of this, but it is possible at some level for all of us.
And here’s a little extra assignment; Take pen and paper and write down all of the changes you have experienced in your life. Go as far back as you want- even things you know you changed, but don’t have a memory of. Take your time, write down EVERYTHING! Once you are finished, stand back and take in ALL of the changes you have made it through over the course of your lifetime.
This will feel awe inspiring. Give yourself that. You have made it through all of those changes and here you are. Some changes were forced upon you, some you chose and some were just natural progression. Whatever their status, you got through them and they have all lead you hear to this moment where you are reading this now. The have created the tapestry of your life. Have gratitude for these and toward yourself for all that you have been through and created.
And now you have the awareness and opportunity to consciously decide on some changes you would like to make as we inch closer to 2023.
Finish this sentence:
Once for all I am going to make this change of __________________________________________in my life.
Write down as many of those as come to you and then just pick one to begin making progress with.
What is the first step you take toward that change? When will you do it? Who will hold you accountable?
Again, take time to have gratitude for your ability to choose, your ability to change and for what you want that hasn’t materialized- yet. Have gratitude that you are on the path, making progress and that change is coming.