“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”
Change is something we all experience in our lives. However, change is not something we do easily as many have grown up with the idea that change could be something "bad" when it could be just the beginning of a new adventure.
Imagine what your life would be if you felt comfortable with the idea of change, with the idea that NOTHING IS FOREVER, where you face the challenges that will constantly make you grow.
Usually, the fear of change is caused by the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Changing yourself is part of it. That's why understanding the process of change is very important:
1. First, identify what you want to change. This step is crucial especially when it's related to changing behavior because you cannot change something you do not know.
2. Understand the consequences of this change in circumstances or behavior will have on your life and why it is important NOW. Try to consider the benefits that this will bring, but mostly, the negative effects that not changing can have on your life. For example, if you are thinking of starting a new venture, scaling to a new country, or changing your time management habits to be more productive.
3. You need to communicate, verbalise and share with others what you want to do and how you plan to do it. Talking to someone and saying things out loud will help you confirm the reasons for change. Also when you are telling someone what you intend to do, you are taking responsibility for making that happen.
Something interesting is that most people can identify what they want to change, understand why they want to do it, and the consequences they will face if no change is made. They also share it with other people. However, they are not acting and keep coming up with thousands of excuses to explain why they haven't made those changes yet.
Without this fourth step, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!
4. The fourth step is to TAKE ACTION!! This is the ONLY step that will help you change effectively and make permanent and tangible what you want to do.
Here are some tips that will help:
a) Think about your past experiences and challenges. Have you ever been in a similar situation? If so, ask yourself what you did to overcome it. The idea is that you can always use similar strategies to cope with the changes in your life.
b) Accept your emotions. It's natural to feel some anxiety towards change, either positive or negative. E.g. Changing cities, jobs, and schools. Often these changes could be better, but the anxiety is always there, lurking.
c) Find help and support. People who have had similar experiences to yours or are good listeners. Often all we need is to talk to someone and express our feelings. When we talk things through, we feel much better.
d) If the change is negative, something that you don’t have any control. Remind yourself that it’s only A MOMENT of your life, not something permanent. Focus on what you can learn from that experience. In general, we learn more from negative experiences than from positive ones.
The opportunity to grow as a person is always attached to experiencing and taking new opportunities, experiences, and adventures, and this will only happen if we embrace change.
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