“Change is beautiful and something to be embraced, not feared.”
—Nancy Salmeron
John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” When I was thinking about a name for my company, I knew it was important to accept and embrace change in the process of becoming someone different, so I chose to Believe. Change. Become. To be clear, becoming is not about becoming someone else, but about discovering who you truly are.
Change is part of our evolutionary process on this planet. Change comes into our lives in many ways. It can come from a crisis, by chance, or by choice. The key to befriending change in all of these instances is to welcome it as if the change was a choice. The truth is that fighting or resisting change make life’s difficult situations more difficult. Yes, we must give ourselves time to grieve changes that bring financial loss, relationship loss, loss of a loved one, or any other kind of loss, but we must also surrender to the loss or change. Although we cannot control some of these changes that bring a great deal of pain and suffering to our lives, we need to understand that we can control how we react to change. Yes, it is okay to feel disappointment, but do not continue to agonize or wish for things to be what they used to be. As we are experiencing many changes in our world right now, and probably within ourselves also, know that we will overcome these difficult times more smoothly when we befriend and welcome change. Today, let us talk about how to truly accept and adapt to change.
Facing, not avoiding, change.
There is a dance between grieving the loss of something or someone in your life and avoiding change. Grieving means that you feel the pain of loss. Avoiding means that you ignore what is happening and try to maintain things as they were. But we can face the situation by seeking solutions to the challenges in our lives. We can make the decision to live in the present moment. If you want to embrace and welcome change, you don’t avoid it. You face it.
Resignation is not acceptance.
When I think about resignation, I imagine a grumpy child who is told by their mother that it is time to stop playing and go to bed. This grumpy, annoyed child asks for more time and tries to convince mom to let them play longer. However, knowing that if they do not listen to their mother, they will be punished, the child resigns themself to the situation and angrily climbs into bed. Resignation does not make you feel good about change. It makes it tolerable, but it does not move you forward to a better future. Resignation means you live unhappily with a challenging or annoying situation because you see no other choice. You simply endure life. This is not a pleasant way to live.
Acceptance means you welcome what life brings to you.
Accepting a current life-altering situation means that you understand that the past is gone and you have a new reality. It means that you have found a balance concerning a difficult and changing situation and that you can embrace and say hello to whatever cards life has dealt you. When you accept life as it is, you are better able to adapt and handle the future. When facing life-altering changes, welcome what is and let go of what you once believed should be. Believe me, you will handle change like a true champion.
To truly adapt to change you need to remember that change does not have to be your enemy. You can make change a friend. It may not be a “love at first sight” kind of friend, but a “love after I got to know them” kind of friend. You can befriend change by first accepting the situation as it is and not avoiding it. When you stop fighting what is and welcome what is happening, you have an opportunity to learn something about yourself and others. Change and growth are only available to you when you accept, welcome, and adapt to what life introduces to you. Change is beautiful and something to be embraced, not feared. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.