Riding the Winds of Change

There are some of us who drink up change like a puddle in the middle of a desert. But for many others, change is one of the scariest words in the dictionary. Regardless, no matter how any one of us views the concept of change, the fact of the matter is that change is, in a way, inevitable.

When we think of change we have a choice, are we going to perceive change as a fact of life and an opportunity to expand our horizons, or are we going to do everything within our power to avoid it? The answer to that question, I think, will have everything to do with how we perceive change in the first place.

Whether we are looking to change jobs, partners, homes, locations, or whatever it might be, a lot of us stay stuck where we are, not because we necessarily like it there, but because the unknown seems way too unnerving for us to take the risk. What if we fail? What if we make the “wrong” decision? What if we end up worse off than we are now? But, the truth is, we will not be 100% certain unless we take the leap and see where we land.

I guess it all comes down to the risk/reward calculations each of us makes with any decision in life. Are we willing to take the chance, even if we might fail? Are we willing to settle for less than what our heart truly desires? We live in a free will universe, and so it is our personal choice to choose our own path and subsequent trajectory of where that path will lead.

Now, every choice that we make will lead us on a different path, whether that diversion is slight or extreme. So, it makes sense that sometimes we’d rather stay at the fork, because at least there we know what we are getting. But setting up camp at the fork in the road has its limitations because there is simply nowhere to expand. And so, if we don’t choose a path, what we are doing is actually choosing one by default, and that is the path of stagnation, procrastination and, essentially, going nowhere.

The comfort zone is a lovely place to picnic, but what happens when the food runs out? We all need some sense of stability and the familiar in our lives, this is true. But some of us camp out in the comfort zone for way longer than is opportune. If we really want to experience life to the fullest, we are going to, at least sometimes, have to follow our hearts to unknown places so that we can explore who we are and what we truly want out of life.

I wrote a blog post recently on my other blog www.caviarandcandor.com called, “Life, Take Two” (https://www.caviarandcandor.com/post/life-take-2). And in this blog I described how life can sometimes seem like it goes in phases. One phase teaches us something about ourselves, and then the next one asks us to take that knowledge and apply it to new adventures. I go on to say that it’s like Phase 2 of our lives is like the sequel, where we get to continue the story, only with more perspective. However, if we are unwilling to let go of some of the stuff that is holding us back, the opportunities of Phase 2 will simply be lost. If we choose to avoid change at all costs, our sequel might be a lot harder than it needs to be. Our soul is constantly guiding us in our best direction, but if we ignore its calling and stay stuck in outdated ways of doing things, we won’t truly know the miracles that await.

So, then, perhaps it is now time to revisit our concept of change and try to see it through a more adventurous lens rather than a fearful one. Because if we start to trust our soul to guide our way, perhaps then we will start to see the continued purpose of our lives as we experience this glorious experience of living here on earth.