18 Oct Embracing Change
“Life is Change. Growth is Optional”
“Change your thoughts and you can change your world”
We all go through different life transitions – embracing change for many of us is challenging – we can go through periods of overthinking, racing thoughts, talking ourselves out of things, confusion, fear of stepping out of our comfort zones into unchartered territory, unsure about taking chances/risks. Many transitions of change are beyond our control and we are challenged to face a new unfamiliar situation whether we like it or not.
Change for me over the years has been challenging and having transitioned through many many life experiences myself.
I want to share some of my learnings from challenging situations and embracing change as follows:-
- Always remember any failures we experience are actually giving us feedback – from which new knowledge/learnings can take us forward positively.
- If we are taking risks then from my perspective – yes there is a risk that new ideas/situations/new challenges may not be successful but at least there is no regret and the effort has been made to try. You may surprise yourself!
- If you are thrown into a situation beyond your control and you are not coping – talk to others/seek support on how you can move forward. If you are feeling uncomfortable and are not ok – talking to others in a safe environment can give you the space and support you need to start gaining some clarity on a situation. For me I have learnt that seeking support from others has helped me at times of overwhelm.
- Look at your strengths and whether you have been in a similar situation before – what did you do last time to help yourself move forward? How can your strengths help you right now?
- If something you are trying is not working then try something different.
- Always remember when we are trying something new, e.g a new hobby/learning to drive/learning to run then the Learning Cycle begins. We often give up because we think we are not good enough but remember none of us know how to do something until we have transitioned through the learning cycle. Then the consistency and staying persistent will keep us going until we move through the 4 steps.
The Learning Cycle
Unconscious Incompetence: We don’t know we don’t know how to do it.
Conscious Incompetence: We understand that we don’t know how to do it
Conscious Competence: We know we know how to do it.
Unconscious Competence: We do it automatically – just by picking up an instrument/sitting behind the wheel/running a marathon.
7. If you are feeling overwhelmed – take time out – take a step back – brainstorm and re-think a situation.
8. If you are unsure about making a change – imagine what would happen if you stay where you are – for example 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years. If you don’t make the change – how will this make you feel?
9. Talk kindly to yourself and give yourself plenty of self love – when you treat yourself as well as you treat other people then your self worth and self esteem will rise.
10. Embrace changes with an active effort to be curious, a new adventure and excitement to see where your new journey takes you.
11. Using visualisation techniques can open your mind to embracing change and also an exercise looking at how your life will be once you achieve your goal/lifestyle change.
12. Embracing change is always easier once you are following your passions and are true to yourself.
13. Whilst you are going through the process of change – self reflection helps you to notice what is going well/not going well – how can you change things? – celebrate your wins.
14. I always think – what is the worst that can happen? You may surprise yourself.
15. Remember you do not have to be perfect – step by step – aim for being better than yesterday.
16. Using all your senses and mindfulness when going through change can help you to stay grounded, stay present and recognise within yourself exactly how you are feeling within. Being aware of your inner world can help you to make decisions.
17. Having a great support network around you of family, friends, colleagues etc is invaluable for me and remember there is always someone, somewhere that can help you if you reach out.
18. Remember Energy Follows Intention. If you set an intention then your sub-concious mind will embrace this and will start to work with you. The positive energy you inject into changes, step by step will bring you positive rewards.
Life is a cycle and remember what matters most is how we decide to perceive change and the unknown. Each path we take in life can lead us onto new adventures and none of us know exactly where in life change will take us.
Keep an open mind and who knows what the future holds. 🙂
Please feel free to contact me to talk about any aspects of change.
I am here to support you to access your inner world, become more self aware and empower you to open your mind to new strategic thinking towards change.
My NLP Certification which I thoroughly enjoyed achieving which I find so useful in my everyday life in my various roles was with Robbie Steinhouse at NLP School London – promoting the Art of Change