Change Is Hard, Even When It’s Good

When we think of a change we imagine unforeseen events, from the difficult to the tragic. People to whom life has thrown a curve ball, pushed to be or do something different. We recall images of refugees, leaving their homeland with only the belongings they can carry. Or a sudden separation, a.k.a getting dumped, or getting fired.

Yet some changes are planned. But even those changes are hard. Change, by its very nature, is disturbing. Our primitive person brain is programed to go on red alert when something is not as usual. Different equals danger. So even when it’s a good change, there’s a feeling of apprehension. It’s hard because something new implies an unknown component. There’s always that unknown factor that may or may not pop up, that may or may not be insurmountable.

I’m in the process of moving. It’s the culmination of an old idea, years of discussion and three years of searching for another house in another part of the country. We wanted to do this. My husband and I are both of the same mindset. But it’s stressful. There’s the unforeseen that may or may not happen but that’s always lurking out there. There’s adapting to the unknown even if I’m not leaving my country. And honestly, I worry that I’ll have that meltdown moment when I’ll wonder What the hell was I thinking?

And there’s also how those around you react. Sometimes they don’t like what they see. That was a recent blog: when your change gets negative feedback. My move raised a few eyebrows:  “that’s far away,” “never thought you’d do it,” “you’ve never been there,” “why?”

But on the good side it’s what we want. I manifested our new house, unbelievably, and I’ll talk about that in another blog. It’s a fresh start I’m looking forward to being able to write full-time and create a decent body of artwork. It coincides with me leaving my full-time job so this feels really new and transformative. I no longer identify with what I used to do but rather now with whom I want to be. Moving also has a bittersweet quality. I find myself at a point where I can’t go back, even if I could. I loved where I lived but it’s past now it doesn’t hold the same attraction. It’s as if the door is already closed. But now a new one is opening and I don’t know exactly what’s behind it.

I guess that’s where faith comes in, or self-confidence are trusting in the fact that you’ll be able to figure it out.  That ties in with mindset and manifesting. See the outcome clearly. Hold it in mind. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have every detail figured out. You’ll achieve what you see in your mind.

So being fearful or having periods of regret doesn’t mean it’s time to drop the whole project and go back to the way you were before or where you were before. And honestly you can’t. Because you’re not the same. That initial thought, that image in your mind’s eye of something different means, you’re no longer the same. It just means you need to take a deep breath remind yourself of why you thought this was such a great idea in the first place and move forward, one step at a time. It’s one of my life mottos: always advance. Eventually you’ll get to where you want to be.

Photo by Derek Thomson on Unsplash