You know that pit in your stomach you feel when you need to make a change but feel stuck? The pit that comes when you start to think about the feelings and emotions that come with that very word and all that has to happen to make change possible? Change comes with a lot of fear and doubts that arise when you know something needs to give and you know that it’s inevitable for growth. Growth is essential and as humans, we are always searching for ways to do more, be better, improve our skills, and nourish ourselves from within. But for so many of us all we want to do is run away from change.
So why is change so difficult? What is it about change that we crawl back into our zones of comfort? Why is change a dreaded word in our vocabulary? For me, change was that exact word…dreaded.
The younger me did not welcome change with open arms. It was difficult for me to accept or go after anything outside of my comfort zone. Going away to college, changing schools, traveling for work, it was all very difficult. But I didn’t run and hide from it all together because to be honest, I couldn’t. Sometimes the most challenging positions we are faced with are not optional. We have to figure out how to cope and get through it and the best part is when we come out on the other side and realize how important, impactful, and even life-changing it can be. We learn how essential change is in our lives and how it actually feeds our souls in the best possible way.
Change frees us to experience life in the most beautiful way; it encourages us to follow our hearts and forces us to believe in ourselves in ways we never thought were possible. Change makes us proud. And believe me; I used to be one of those people who feared change. But then I realized that I had to get uncomfortable with it to actually live the life I wanted to lead. Sure I knew it would be difficult, I knew I would be tested in more ways than one, but then some really amazing things started to happen once I accepted change. I started to see how the hours worked were finally meaningful hours and that the experiences and lives I touched made a real difference. The happiness I could bring to others through photography was and is indescribable. I started to see that without change I wasn’t going to get anywhere and going through the motions wasn’t cutting it anymore, it wasn’t me.
So now, I can honestly say that:
Change is good.
Change is powerful.
Change is necessary!
One of my many favorite Michael Jackson songs is “Man in the Mirror”. My mom used to play it for us on our car rides to school. We would bust out singing at different parts during the song and to this day my favorite line is, “if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself then make a change.” No matter how loud we would sing it, we always whispered at the end…“make that change.” Even then I knew my deep-thinking elementary self wanted to make that change. And I am sure glad my mid-thirty self finally got the message…loud and clear!
