Open to Changes

"Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have - and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up."

I read this statement the other day and it started the wheels turning in my head. How many of us are afraid of change? How many of us actually fight against change? It doesn't have to be life-altering changes such as divorce or job change, but it can be simple changes such as giving up a bad habit. For so many of us, even if we know the change will be better for us, will improve our lives, or will benefit our health - we still fight against it.

I have been afraid of change for most of my life. At times, the very idea of change paralyzed me. Even when I knew the change would give me greater happiness and would improve my overall quality of life, I was still frightened of the actual process of change. I held onto people, places, things, or habits that I knew were not good for me.

I realized that by holding onto those things I was trying to create a false sense of safety and security for myself. The problem with that - change is going to come no matter how hard we fight against it. Life keeps happening. Partners will leave us, people die, pets run away; jobs aren't as secure as they once were. This was the realization that I finally allowed myself to see which helped me to be more willing to embrace change.

Am I completely comfortable with change? No.

There are still things that I fret about. The difference is that I am now willing to accept changes. I am willing to cause changes in my life.