Embracing Change
Change is inevitable, yet it can be one of the most difficult things to embrace.
We’re taught that control is the ideal and that the unknown is a scary place to be avoided. I was raised to believe that if you can control your life, you’ve won. Yet the further I walk through life the more I realize that’s a lie that keeps me stuck. Trying to control life keeps me running in the rat race chasing fiction. I can’t control change, no one can. I can control how I think about change, how I adapt, my responses to changes in life, not change itself.
Does change cause you to feel uncomfortable, uncertain, and even scared? Me, too, and change can also bring growth, new experiences, and opportunities. So, how do we learn to make the shift? How do we embrace change so that it enhances our lives?
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and colleague, Jan Hamning, an expert in helping people get “unstuck”. She loves change, so we dove into some of the tips and tricks she uses to embrace change in her life.
Getting Comfortable with Change
- Make Space:
Yes, change can be challenging. It’s natural to feel fear, uncertainty, or discomfort, and remember that emotions are just energy in motion. Instead of pushing them away, stop and notice the energy that’s moving, acknowledge the emotion and allow yourself to feel it. This simple exercise opens the door for transformation. It’s simple, not easy, and it is powerful. You can’t change something until you are aware of it.
Instead of stuffing your feelings, acknowledge the moment of fear and concern and just be with it. What would the most amazing, nurturing being you could imagine tell you in this moment?
You just stopped a habitual pattern, a spiral of pre-conditioned thinking, that kept you stuck. In its place, you made space. Space is where all possibility lives.
- Tell Another Story:
Closing my studio was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my life, it was scary and overwhelming. I ran the gamut of emotions. I used the tool above and kept being present to them, making space (#1 above). Throughout the process I also kept asking “who am I being called to become?”
Change can be an opportunity to learn, grow, and create something new. I would hear the internal critic telling her stories – “closing the studio means you’re a failure”, “a better business woman would have found a way through”, “you have to make it work” – and feel the shame, fear and unworthiness that came with each story.
I stopped each time, made space and chose a different story. For example, when I heard “closing the studio means you’re a failure”, instead, I asked, “what if closing the studio didn’t mean I was a failure, what are 5 alternative stories I could tell myself right now?” and I wrote them down.
- It means I’m being authentic
- It means I’m taking care of my overworked, undervalued team.
- It means I’m a responsible leader
- It means I’ll have time to share Dance With Life on a bigger stage
- It means I’m listening and showing up
Yep, it’s work. I did this every time I became aware of my life being taken over by an emotion and/or a story. This is how you shift your perspective and live into new possibilities and opportunities. For me, this allowed me to discover and own the blessings of closing my studio. More than that it opened amazing doors of opportunity in my executive coaching.
Are you ready to shift the fear and gain opportunity?
- Get Grounded:
When you’re feeling scattered, anxious, or overwhelmed one of the quickest ways to shift is to ground yourself. What the heck is grounding? We are energetic beings. Just like electrical wires, we have positive and negative charges running through us that can get out of whack.
Grounding is one way to realign those energies so that you feel more centered, calm, and focused. You can ground yourself in so many ways – one is in nature: taking a walk in nature, standing barefoot in the grass or even by visualizing yourself rooted like a tree.
Breathing and meditation practices also ground us. Strat paying attention to the things you do that result in your feeling calm, centered and focused. These are the things that ground you.
Jan uses a tool called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping. It’s another way to release any negative emotions or limiting beliefs that hold you back. You can find out more on Jan’s blog at JanHamning.com. Or find her on social media.
- Someone’s Got Your Back:
We are not meant to do this alone. That’s just another lie that keeps us siloed and stuck. Reach out to someone, a friend, family member, or a professional coach or counselor. Talking to someone can help you process your feelings and gain new perspectives on the situation.
In case this is the first time we’re meeting, I’m Maren, an executive awareness coach, speaker, dancer and author empowering you to step into your purpose and live your most fulfilled life. If I can support you on your journey, contact me. I have people who’ve got my back, I want to be sure someone’s got yours.
To learn more about how we can work together one-on-one to uncover your unique gifts and get you dancing with life, click here. For corporate training or inquiries regarding speaking engagements, please complete this form.
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