Change Happens. How do you embrace it? Is that such a thing?

Well, yes, it is. Change is neutral; our thoughts and feelings make it mean something, and then we take action based on our emotions.

Yes, Change is scary for most people, but what if we learned to change our mindset about Change and become curious about it?

It took me almost 37 years to understand that Change is not scary and worrying about it worsens it. These feelings are because Change is normal and unavoidable and, most of all, out of our control at times. But you do have control over our thoughts and actions around Change. After many years of being still, I can say this now, I prefer to ride the wave of Change and see where it may take me instead of fearing it.

"You will never grow if you stay in your comfort zone."

Why did I start embracing Change? Because I desperately wanted to be happy; instead of being stressed, anxious, and burnout 24/7. I decided I was sick of living in fear. I also started practicing what I learned in The Change Guidebook by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, "When you ask yourself, Can I do that? Instead of answering, I don't know if I can skip right to the Words "I Can." (p20).

Make The Choice

Then I realized I have a choice and can choose how I want to feel and be. You can rise to the next level and become a better version of yourself; we are not our circumstances.

So I started acting and doing things that made me happy once a day. Tiny things, spending more time in my garden, longer walks, turning off my phone after work, and surrounding myself with people who genuinely loved me.

When I completed Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarno's Guidebook; I went back to parts of the book that felt like my life and things I wanted to incorporate into my book, such as "We are present with a choice in how we want to be in each moment,"

I realized how long I had chosen to be angry or upset about circumstances; I was missing out on happy moments because I focused on past experiences.

Whatever type of Change is unsettling you, embrace that feeling. You'll only get past it if you work through it. Choose to be present, embrace, and accept how it feels, making adapting to change more manageable.

Here are some ways to stay in the moment while Change is occurring

1. Be Present-focus on what is happening in front of your face

2. Laugh- Life is not serious.

3. Always be the brighter energy in the room.

4. Write down your thoughts and then decide if it's a thought/fear or a fact; focus on the points.

5. View the situation as a learning experience

6. No matter what your age is, anyone can change.

7. Think about how this Change can add value to your life or job or how you can add value to the Change.

Best,

Kate