Sunday Purrs: Why Change Is Good

Let go of fear, embrace change, and move toward joy. – Buckley

I have a love/hate relationship with change. I often think that one of the many reasons why I love cats is that they are creatures of habit who don’t like having their routines disrupted. I like my life, and I like my routines. At the same time, most, if not all, change in my life has always been for the better. And yet, I still can’t quite seem to embrace the fact that change is good.

How do you view change?

It helps to become conscious of how you view change. Do you automatically assume that change is bad, or can you view it as an opportunity to improve your life? Many of the changes in my life that seemed very bad while I was going through them ultimately led to something really good. My divorce and the death of my mother within a four month period in the mid-1990’s were incredibly hard to deal with, but at the same time, both events forced me to re-examine my life. This led to me quitting my soul-less corporate job and embarking on a career I loved.

Without change, life would be dull. While there is much to be said for routine, change helps you grow by challenging you with new experiences. Change forces you to be more flexible. It takes much more energy to resist change than to go with the flow. Why fight something that is so inevitable?

Change also reminds you that anything is possible. When you’re stuck in an unhappy place, it’s easy to assume that things will never get better. Change, whether it’s in your own life, or in the lives of those around you, serves as a reminder that nothing stays the same forever, and that you have the power to make different choices.

Exercise your change muscle

A recent articleon Plum Deluxe, Andy Hayes suggested that you can build your change muscle like any other muscle. Experimenting with small changes like shopping at a new grocery store,  taking a different route for your daily walk, or rearranging your furniture, can help increase your comfort level with change.

Most importantly, change your thoughts. According to scientists, we produce up to 50,000 thoughts a day and 70% to 80% of those are negative. This translates into 40,000 negative thoughts a day! While it seems like a daunting task to manage that many thoughts, it’s important to become aware of your thought patterns, and to start letting go of old negative thoughts and replacing them with more positive ones.

Embracing change as something positive was one of Buckley’s most profound lessons. She taught me to view change as something to be welcomed rather than something to be feared. Thanks to her, I began to develop trust in the universe, and I started to believe that no matter what, all was going to be okay.

Do you view change as good or bad? How do you cope with change?