The Benefits of Accepting Change

Feeling “stuck” can be crippling.  Amidst the many factors in our life, there are some circumstances we can’t change, but there are more that we can.  

+ You can’t change that you have to care for your crazy 2 year old, but you can change how you deal with them.

+ You can’t change your family, but you can change how you interact with them and how often.

+ You can’t change your appearance to be perfection, but you can take steps towards being healthier.

Let’s chat about a couple of ways that change can broaden your horizons for good.

[ O N E ] Getting Fired

I can nail down 2 crucial eventssince I started working that were life-defining.  Simply the two BEST events. The two moments that jump started my future, each a necessary catalyst for my success.  The first, a “suggested” resignation from a job that wasn’t a great fit and was eating me away on the inside.  The second, a “lay off” from a company that could no longer afford a part time employee.  I talk about identifying and knocking off pain points here, but these two were God’s grace.  These two, life chose for me. 

When you’re in a tight spot, you have the opportunity to fight or to take flight. You have the option to reach out, reach in, and reach up.  Without these two “tragedies,” I wouldn’t have progressed… not one bit.  It is SO hard to move out of your comfort zone on your own… but if you haven’t (and you’re miserable), I suggest you try. 

If you hate what you do, get out and see what else is out there. 

[ T W O ] Leaving Organizations

Whether you’re on a board, in a book club, in a church bible study, at tennis, or just going out to lunch with coworkers… you don’t have to stay in something toxic. I have an extremely high tolerance for abuse and will typically stay in things, being a push over until it all hits the fan.  You can say no.  It takes guts, but getting out of the space that is containing you, hurting you, making you feel uncomfortable, or churning your insides is CRITICAL.  Also, look at the people around you.  Are they all leaving that space? Are great people seeing something you’re not? Get out. Move on.

Surround yourself with positive, supportive, productive people.

[ T H R E E ] Having the Hard Conversations

There aren’t many of us who like confrontation, and by all means, be REALLY SURE before you go pointing fingers, shaming others, or accusing people of treason.  There is a huge difference between asking for suggestions and gossip. There’s a huge difference between inquiring and writing someone up.  If you have beef and it isn’t “illegal”… stand up for yourself, your organization, or your sanity by reaching out and having those tough conversations.  Make sure you’re not sending emails at 11:30PM (before or after drinks), though. If you can’t eradicate the negative energy from your life, at least try to mold it into something that is better + less toxic.

[ F O U R ] Focusing on Yourself

One of the best ways that I can adapt to change itself is to work on myself, my needs, and my desires.  The hard transitions in my life are usually just hard because I am making them hard, not because they’re inherently difficult.  I’d encourage you to identify your personal pain points and (for lack of a better phrase) “embrace the change.” 

You own your life; you can choose to accept the unacceptable.

[ F I V E ] Going the Extra Mile

Last weekend, I was at the beach house for a long 5 day weekend. 4 of the 5 days, I spent several hours at the coffee shop- working on something.  Some personal, some blog, some work related, and some to excel my career. I worked on logos for a new meet-up my friend and I are starting.  Changing up my blog pages.  Editing, etc.  BUT, I decided that I would randomly make a proposal for an interview I had later in the week and send it over to the company I was meeting with.  Not only did it take a full hour meeting with an expert on the subject the week before (where rigorous notes were taken), it took a few hours to map it out and build it out.  When I entered the interview, they had printed it, reviewed it, circled things, highlighted things. It was, in some ways, a resume. Better than the “resume” I had given them prior to this with a list of what I had done in the past.  This was a one-pager that showed what I could do for themin the future. Huh.  Wasn’t required, wasn’t asked for, but went a long way.  I know your situation is probably not the same… but maybe going the extra mile at work, at home, in a relationship, etc. could move mountains.

Whether you’re stuck, longing, happy, or content… we all have room to improve. 

How will you extend you reach this Fall?

Best,

Photography by @RachelCossettePhoto. Graphic Design by @UrbanBay