Put On Your Big Boy Pants and Take a Giant Step

Change. I hate it. Do you? And yet change being a constant, you can always count on it. Like a best friend who always comes through, change will barrel through EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT LOOKING!

I hate it.

I’ve changed my site. Do you like it? It was a breeze and a lot of fun making all the changes.

LIE! Lie! LIE! 

Truth: I am way too embarrassed to tell you how many tears were shed and the amount of angst I caused my family and myself. So, is it okay if we don’t talk about it? But look, I have a new site! I think I like it.

What changes are you experiencing?

Perhaps your child just graduated. Maybe some close friends are moving away. Or you’re expecting your first baby. Or maybe you’re going to be a grandparent. Did you just get the promotion of your dreams? Maybe you’re getting married. Or perhaps you just experienced the loss of a family member or cherished pet. Or you need to find a new job.

Change can be overwhelmingly scary.

If you removed the fear what would you do? What dreams would you pursue? What adventures would you tackle?

Yes, change can be scary but it can also mean a new, better, improved journey. It all depends on how you look at it. If you think the new unexpected adjustment is bad, then it is bad.

Get moving.

As life glides from season to season, trying to fly backwards will cause fear, anxiety, sadness, and depression.

 

Take it from me, anytime I look back with longing on what “used to be” I find myself in an avalanche of deeper and deeper distress.

I’ve said:

• “I wish I could go back to when my kids were little.”

• “I loved being pregnant.”

• “Oh, to be 20 again!”

Now hear the actual reality as it was:

1. As much as I enjoyed my kids when they were little I enjoy them heaps more now that they are adults.

2. Being pregnant was like having an alien take over my body, and I was gaining 10 to 20 pounds a month because I couldn’t stop eating, and I was bumping into furniture because I regularly misgauged my size, and had constant worry that I was gaining too much weight along with anxiety that I wouldn’t be a good enough mom. Big breath!

3. At 20 I was struggling with an eating disorder and was naive and dumb. (I am not at all saying 20-year-olds are naive and dumb, but I was!)

Embracing change means always pushing forward.

Embracing change means  being the lookout person who forges through unknown terrain and stays the course when obstacles pop up and block your goal of a better life.

That is why change can be so difficult because we fear our life will not be as good when something is moved or taken away. If we stand still we will create the exact result we had been afraid of. I know this to be true because I’ve done it.

Instead, leap and dance to your next venture. Focus on what you want and don’t stop until you hear the word YES. Many times I’ve heard the word no. And many times I’ve turned no into yes. Sometimes you just need to keep going until you hear YES!

Like when my son was flying in from college and I wanted to meet him at the gate.

Airport security kept stopping me.

“How old is your son ma’am?”

“Umm….20.”

“Sorry, you’ll have to wait here.” This was usually met with a chuckle.

I kept asking until someone finally said yes and they let me through with a PASS in hand. (This really happened.) Silly example I know, but you can apply this to all areas of your life.

Successful people are those who kept going even after they heard the word no.

The current season shift can be the one which brings more joy, success, happiness, and a better you. Better and better until we walk into eternity.

As a Christian, the older we get the closer we get to glory, and the One who never changes.