“Yesterday I was cleaver so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself”
– Rumi.
As we transition from winter to spring, so many things in our world change – the weather, our wardrobe, the tires on our car and the sports we play, to name a few. What better time than this period of transition to think about change for ourselves.
Many people fear change and, therefore, fight it. And why wouldn’t they – after all, our internal predispositions teach us to resist change, mainly so we can maintain a certain element of control over our environment.
Of course, change is easier said than done. Think about the last time you tried to introduce a new routine into your life. For example, let’s say you want to get into the best physical shape of your life this year so you decide to change your routine to incorporate more exercise. You do all the things to start off right. You research meal plans, an exercise regime, join a gym and maybe even hire a personal trainer and a nutritionist. You start off motivated, excited and energized because you have put all the physical elements in place, but it doesn’t last. Why is that? Well our beliefs drive our behavior and unless we change our beliefs, we cannot sustain a change in behavior. Did you train your mind to believe that this is how you want to live, or did you simply make the decision to get into shape without planting the seeds of change? Without training your mind, it will operate based on what it knows, and what it knows, in this case, is what has always been.
Though our brain is not a muscle, it is scientifically proven that we can continue to develop and train our brain through mental exercise. Our brain may not grow bigger like our biceps when we hit the gym, but we can certainly develop new neural connections and make them stronger than ever. In essence, we can re-wire our brains, or if you prefer, we can teach an old dog new tricks!
When we desire a change, the first step is understanding what we believe about the thing we want to change followed by creating a new belief to support the change we want to see.
Change leads to a world of possibility. It stretches the mind and feeds the soul. It leads us to opportunities we didn’t know existed and stimulates the curiosity part of our brain which has a whole host of other benefits all on its own.
If we want to move forward in our lives, we must evolve, and how we evolve is a choice. We are the force behind our personality, cognitive capabilities, emotions, and actions. Life is about more than what happens to you, it is also about your perception and reaction to the circumstances that are before you and your willingness to try new things. The evolution of our being is intrinsically intertwined with how we choose to initiate or accept and adapt to change.
One of my mentors always says, things must change in you for things to change for you. Sheer brilliance.
Change offers us an opportunity to grow, to learn from our mistakes, to celebrate our successes, and to continually feed into our insatiable desire to improve upon ourselves and our lives.
So during this transition of seasons, I challenge you to think about the changes you are facing right now or ones you want to make and encourage you to embrace the change as the gift it is and welcome the opportunity to evolve and grow.
Dare to change today for a world of possibility tomorrow.
If this resonates with you, be sure to pick up a copy of my book YOUR EXTRAORDINARY SELF for more tips on how to live an extraordinary life and always remember #AnythingsPossible