Change Is Good. Here's How To Embrace It.
As most of you know (since I've been screaming it from the rooftops), I recently moved to Toronto with my love bug, Randy. While this move has come with much excitement, it has also come with its challenges, much of which revolves around the concept of change.
I actually do enjoy change, which is odd for someone who loves to bask in nostalgia and sentimental moments. Change is typically easier when you're shifting from a more negative situation to a positive one. In my case, I was leaving a positive for a positive.
I loved where I was living, I loved my gym, the people there and how it was steps away from my house. I loved living in Port Credit, my proximity to the GO Train and my commute to work – despite the fact that it came with 3 forms of transportation (longer commute = more podcast time, right?!)But I knew that it was time and I wanted to take that next step in my relationship and life by moving in with Randy ... and then the changes ensued.
As I started to rebuild my new Torontonian east-end life, I was confronted with many new changes.
A new gym – which is great, but very different and unfamiliar in comparison to my old gym (but we know comparison is the thief of joy, right?)
A new routine – when you have your routine down to a T, any change or deviation from it is going to throw you off. All of a sudden, I found it took me 1 hour to get ready instead of 30 minutes!
A new housemate – accepting that my house is our house and having to compromise on things ain't easy. But I'm still learning.
A new neighbourhood – i'm in LOVE with my new neighbourhood so far, though I will admit, the healthy eating options and grocery store selection is slim compared to Port Credit's healthy food scene.
When I first encountered these new changes, I resisted them. I criticized them. Negative words like "Why can't things just be like they were?" or "This would have never happened if things were just the way they were" flowed out of my mouth.Until it hit me.
Change is inevitable; and while we might resist the change by wishing things were as they were, your circumstances are going to stay the same.
Instead, we must simply EMBRACE the change, but in order to accept the change, we must learn how to ADAPT. Adapting is so critical in so many areas of our lives. The reality is, things aren't always going to go the way you planned it. But we cannot be trees with deep rigid roots. We need to be able to sway and go with the flow. When we do that, life becomes SO much easier.
And so now I'm throwing this life lesson back at you:
Are there any changes you're being confronted with at the moment that you're resisting? If so, ask yourself:
Would it be easier if you surrendered to the change and accepted the reality of what is?
Is it causing you more stress or pain to resist the change than it would be to simply accept the change?
Are there areas of your life you could afford to adapt in order to make your life easier?
This can apply to so many areas of your life. For me, at this moment, it was moving and adjusting to that change. But it could be your job, your relationship or your eating habits. What I know to be true is that it's easier to surrender, sway like a palm tree and go with the flow rather than resist what's meant to be.