“Have respect for yourself, and patience and compassion. With these, you can handle anything.” ~Jack Kornfield
I thought that I would address a question that has been on my mind lately, and I know we all ask ourselves it many times over. "Why do we find it so hard to accept the good stuff in our lives?" I had some time to spare this morning (which is very rare) as I am sitting in Starbucks eating a bagel and drinking an ice coffee. It's a beautiful day today. The air is crisp, and you can finally start to feel the "fall" version for Florida. Perfect morning to indulge, right...? Not really! I told myself two months ago that I would not drink coffee anymore because I knew that its after affects were not good for me. Yet, the instant gratification of the caramel iced goodness tempts me every morning. It has always been my "pick-me-up". That little bit of "oomph" to start my day. Unfortunately, by the time I am half way through my day.. I crash, get moody and put everything off that needs to be done because... I am just too tired. I am certain all of you have a similar story. I know that omitting coffee from my morning is beneficial. I did it for two months, and the results were apparent. But, why did I return to my morning habit knowing darn well it wasn't a good idea!?
I'll tell you why. The resistance to change is in us all. We like familiarity, structure and routine; it makes us comfortable. When life throws us a curve ball we lose our sense of security and all seems lost. But, how do we embrace change with the path of least resistance and accept the goodness life has to offer us? We must learn to trust ourselves and be open to self-awareness. It's always easier to say "No" instead of saying "Yes", because saying yes makes us feel like we have committed to something we are actually unsure of.
Although change causes most of us to be uncomfortable there are steps we can take that can help us with the inevitable constant in life we call Change.
Change is extremely hard. For me, I tell myself every month that I need to leave my stressful environment and move into my own place. And every month I sit down and make my budget and realize that if I want personal happiness and mental health I have to give up a college education that I've wanted my whole life. That change is hard. I know that the "good stuff" is leaving my stressful environment and moving out, but yet I can't do it because of an inner fear of losing out on a college education. Change makes me very uncomfortable and instead of just jumping, I'm continuing to live in misery.
ReplyDeleteI know that you must feel stressed with such a big decision but I assure you that sometimes we just have to do the one thing we fear most. It isn't always as bad as it seems. I can relate to how you're feeling, but there are so many resources that can help with school, and additional expenses.. especially if you aren't making a lot of money on a monthly basis. I moved out on my own when I was 17 with $300 to my name and that was me packing my car full of stuff and driving 12 hours to Florida on my own without knowing a single person. Now that was a scary move. But I will tell you.. it was the best thing I ever did, and I have no regrets. Make a plan if it helps figure out your options (all of them) then like the Nike commercial.. Just Do It! ;)
DeleteEveryone in one of their life says they need a change, however words are just words. Action speaks volume, I tell people that i'm all about that action because I want them to believe in my action not in my words. The reason why is said that is because change is hard to do and people say that word left to right without thinking the meaning behind it. Some people are scared of change, and change can become extreme challenging to achieve.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's even better to not say that you are all about action, and simply do it then say "look, I told you I am all about action.. I did it!" Have you ever heard that quote "Your actions speak so loud I cannot hear what you say" that's because it's true. Change is hard but if you think about it.. it's the only constant in life. Change is inevitable. We have to decide to go with it or resist it, but even if we resist change doesn't care because it still happens.
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