Are you among those who view major change with a sinking heart? Do you yearn for safety, security, familiar faces and places? Do you face any change in your settled lifestyle with sleepless nights, a heavy heart and much inner turmoil?

You don’t need a Greek philosopher to tell you that the one certainly in life is change. However, being stuck in a groove means that you limit your chances for new experiences that contribute to the richness of life − one of our purposes in life is to experience as much as possible.

Remember past changes in your life: when you first went to school, when you changed classes, when your parents moved to another house, when someone you loved passed away, when sudden disaster brought about drastic change… You might have been desperately unhappy then but, in retrospect, can you see the benefits that were shrouded at the time? Growth, strength, insight, new friends and opportunities…

At the centre of making peace with change lies the knowledge that when one chapter closes, a new cycle begins that writes new stories that enrich and enhance your life. Sometimes changes are forced upon us, but at other times we ourselves initiate the change.

Here are a few guidelines regarding change:

    • Ask yourself why you feel change is desirable. List the pros and cons, visualise your goal. Use that powerful, invisible helper … your intuition. If you still feel drawn to change, if your motivation seems right and your goal is a good one, go for it hopefully and eagerly.
    • Don’t be negative, change your attitude towards change. More is taking place at this time than ever before in history. To make the most of it, we must develop an open mind and the ability to adapt to changes.
    • Welcome change, see it as a friend. Making changes in good faith for the right reasons and with the right motivation will bear fruit in time. Do not cling. Welcome change when it is appropriate.

 

Sources

Coping with change. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/coping-with-change.htm

Seven tips for dealing with change. Retrieved from http://au.reachout.com/7-tips-for-dealing-with-change

 

(Revised by M van Deventer)