Lately, I hear the word ‘change’ everywhere. And most of the time in a negative way. The news is dominated by technology, globalization and climate change. In our own lives, we experience change often as something negative. Especially when the change is beyond our control, which is most of the time. What happens when we think about change? We feel fear, we feel uncertainty and we are overwhelmed with emotions. We have all these negative associations that take over our minds. This might be a surprise, but… Change is constant and inevitable!

No situation stays the same. Change is automatic. The weather, the economy, your body, your relationships, everything changes, continually. The world and your life would be very boring when everything stays the same all the time. So we NEED change.

Personally, I love change. Looking back at my life so far (36 autumns), I realize that most of what I have learned was when change was involved. Of course, I have been scared, of course, I have been angry when things changed in a way I had not foreseen. There have been times I was mad at the universe and I thought ‘Why is this happening?’. I also watched the news and wondered what good can come from all the hate and suffering. The events that had the biggest impact on my life, were also the moments I was scared the most. To find the positive in the negative, I looked for the things I could control and this is what I learned from change:

Choice

You always have a choice, in every situation. You don’t always have a choice in the challenges you get in life. The loss of a loved one, losing a job or losing your health. We all have our share of pain in life. You still get to choose how you handle the situation. Do you choose to let emotions take over control? When you choose to be angry about the situation, to stay sad or be worried, you are not able to see what choices you have. If you choose to see what choices you have, you can start living your life without external events driving your car and you become the driver yourself.

I choose to see change as a chance. A chance to get to my core and ask myself ‘What do I want?’.

Growth

There is an opportunity to grow in every painful situation. Growth is life and growth makes you feel alive.

Change enables you to learn new things and to feel proud of yourself. Growth makes you (mentally) stronger. Life pushes you to become a better version of yourself. You can try to fight growth, but I believe that life will challenge you even more if you do not learn and if you are not growing.

Change gave me great opportunities to learn new things, a broader perspective and to grow as a person and in my professional life. In this way change empowers me.

Use change

You can use change, even when unexpectedly and undesirable things happen. To give you an idea how I used change in my life: When my relationship ended, I moved to the city I always dreamed of living. When I could not run because of injuries, I found a new love in weight training which benefited my running. When I was diagnosed with cervical cancer I learned to live more consciously and enjoy life even more.

Use change as an accelerator for life on your terms. Change happens, life never goes as planned, but I also choose change myself. To do something that I have never done before. To push myself out of my comfort zone. To eat something that I have never eaten. To go to a place where I have never been before. To do something I have done all my life but in a different environment or at a different time.

Change of perspective gives you new information, new insights. And again a chance to learn and grow.

Embrace change

If you see change as your enemy, it will be your enemy. Change your focus and you will experience change differently. The situation will not change, but the way you feel is as different as night and day. Look with new eyes to change and a new world opens. You will experience more growth, you will feel more alive, you will have more choices and opportunities.

There are no highs without lows. I have learned to appreciate the highs in life because of the setbacks. Fact is that life is changing. After rain comes the sun, but after sun also comes the rain. Learn to see the beauty in change and enjoy it when things go well. And if you need comfort in troubled times, know that everything is temporary.

So in short, this is why I love change:

– It is a chance to learn and to grow.
– It gives you new perspectives.
– It is an opportunity.
– You can choose the impact.
– You can step out of your comfort zone.
– It brings variety.
– You can connect with yourself.
Change is a gift in disguise. Give change a chance to bring you insights, growth, connection and so much more!

Do you choose to love change? Please share your stories in the comments. I like to know how you experience change as I like to learn from you.