Change is a hard thing. In my lifetime I have moved numerous times and have lived in many different places. I’ve moved from one home to the next, from one office to another.
It’s really interesting to see how your life can be tossed in the air during those periods. Whether you’ve lived in the same home for a few years or worked in the same office, you have a routine that’s comfortable. You shop at the same stores and you go home the same way every night.
Then, when change comes, there is a disruption of that pattern. Usually these disruptions create anxiety or worry. But, here’s the thing, this disruption can be exciting. It’s all a matter of perspective.
I moved my family from Oregon to Greenville SC about eight years ago. It was exciting, but it was also stressful. My wife, my oldest daughter, and three of our grandchildren all packed up and went with me. The hardest part of the move was leaving our other family members behind in Oregon.
About halfway through the trip I asked myself, “what am I doing? I just uprooted my family to move all the way across the county.” Still, despite my worry, it was exciting to travel together. I chose to focus on the newness instead of on the stress and embraced the experience as an education.
Tip to Take Away:
Things are always going to change. If you focus on the uncertainly of change and spend your energy on worry, that stress will grow and can become unsettling. But if you focus on the adventure of being a pioneer, that positive energy grows and becomes healthy. Think about how you respond to change. If it’s good, hang on to that. If it’s not serving you, let it go.