Courage to Change

Happy Thursday!

So, I did a thing last Friday.  I actually walked with my class to get my master's in business administration (MBA).  I wasn’t going to, but then my mom told me that I needed to and that she was going to throw me a party to boot.  😊 Gotta love moms.   As all good kids do, I whined about it - gave her the "you aren't the boss of me" attitude - and then did as I was told.

I am so glad I did.  It was a good reminder to take time to celebrate the accomplishments in our lives and celebrate those accompanying us on the journey. 

Courage to Change

With the New Year approaching, I have been thinking a lot about change - change we initiate and change that is delivered to us.  Both impact us, but the reaction and the accompanying emotions are quite different when the change is self-initiated versus delivered to us. 

Dictionary.com defines change as “to make the form, nature, content, future, course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone:  to change one’s name; to change one’s opinion; to change the course of history.”

As I read the above, I realized that is not how I would define change at all.  My definition would be so much more dramatic with a lot of passionate descriptors because change is the only constant thing that we humans experience on this planet (and sometimes it is just hard). 

I mean, think about the changes that occur in your life.  For example, one might have a change in personal relationships.  A change in their job.  The change that comes with aging or even watching a newborn grow up and leave for college.

My change examples above are joyful, but sometimes change is painful.  The death of a friend or loved one.  Or a relationship ending.  Or losing one's job.   And I think of the seasons changing from Fall, with bearable weather, to winter and its crazy coldness.  The painful changes aren’t necessarily bad, they just require a different mindset.

This different mindset led me to think about the caterpillar that literally disintegrates in its own enzymes – becomes liquid – so it can become a butterfly.  Matt Haig in The Comfort Book describes this as falling apart and becoming new. 

The reality is that everyday change is happening - joyful or painful - whether we are ready or not.

So, why am I again thinking about change? 

Because the year that is coming is full of opportunity and with it change.  We have to prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead. 

There will also be an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and work on assignments that are new and different.  Pick up work on a different application within the L3 or my portfolio or learn a new skill. 

Adjusting our mental mindset, allows us to embrace change not run from it. 

Not suggesting you liquefy yourself (lol) like the caterpillar, just want you to have the courage to change.

Happy Thursday all,

-srt