Ok, so we want change.  But let’s face it, we only really want it if it feels good & if it makes us happy.  We like it when we’re in control of the change that happens, like when you buy a new house, for instance.  A new house holds a whole host of new & exciting promises.

I love change.  I thrive on it.

I’m definitely not the type of person who can sit still for too long without having something to stimulate & excite me.  I’m always planning out what I can do next, where I can go next, & who I can talk to that will inspire me to pieces.  I always want to feel like I’m moving forward or making progress.  When change isn’t happening to me I often feel like something is wrong & that’s when I know something big is about to happen.

When we’re blindsided into change, well, that’s a different story.  Sometimes the change that happens to us is not welcome, not so happy & does not make us feel good.  Sometimes it takes us completely off guard & makes us want to crawl into a deep dark hole where we quietly wish for something magical to happen that will make it all go away.

Well, it is happening to me…as we speak…right now…literally!

Ok first off, I feel really good about 2017.  I know there are things happening in politics that may not be exactly as some of us wished for, but I still believe that something good will come of it.

By the end of 2016 I was spending a lot of my time contemplating what my next move was going to be.  I was feeling really uninspired at my day job & I knew that I needed a change, but I wasn’t sure what it was going to be.  Photography has always been my plan B., but I just bought a house & I wasn’t confident that I could earn enough as a photographer to supplement my income.  Nevertheless, I continued to pursue that course & continued to put the intention out there for a change in my career.

So, on January 13th we closed on the house & we love it.  Full of promise & potential we know that this is where we are meant to be.  2017 was shaping up to be pretty awesome.

But then guess what happened – a week after we closed on our house I was laid off my job.

I was just recovering from the shock of losing my job, and then exactly a month after closing on the house I received the most devastating news of all – my dad passed away.

Lean Forward

Yes, seriously!  This is my reality.

When I got laid off, my first instinct was to panic.  My head was flooded with a multitude of horrible scenarios.  I could not even begin to imagine how we were going to get through this.  I thought for sure we were so screwed!

But then something really beautiful happened.  I began to realize that being let go from a job that I was not happy at was actually a blessing, a gift, an opportunity.  It was actually my prayers being answered.

What I’ve learned is that when your heart longs for something & the desire is intense & sincere, it is likely that those hopes & dreams will eventually appear in your life.  What can throw you off is how it all happens.  It may come to you in forms that may seem scary & unappealing, but what you have to understand is that the feelings of discomfort are actually little clues that you are going down the right path.  If you slow down & listen closely, you will probably hear your instincts come forward.  You can choose to run & hide from the discomfort or you can choose to take the risk & confront your fears.

I chose to sit still & listen closely to what my heart was telling me & it couldn’t be more clear.

 

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears”  -Nelson Mandela

When I gave myself the time to sit back & reflect on my life I could see very clearly how everything that has ever happened to me has been stitched together very carefully to prepare me for this moment.  This is truly the moment that I have been waiting for all my life.  This is my time & I’m going for it.

But all my exciting entrepreneurial endeavors  came to a screeching halt & once again I was thrown into a tail spin when I found out my dad passed away.  It makes the whole “losing your job” thing seem like peanuts compared to the magnitude of losing a parent.  My heart is aching & I am desperate for one last opportunity to say a proper goodbye.  I think regret is a common feeling during the grieving process.  I’m definitely experiencing a lot of that right now & it seems like this could be the perfect scenario for me to spiral into darkness.

But I won’t.

Giving up is not something that my dad raised me to do.

 

The Gift of Change

What I will do is continue to make him proud.  There was nobody in the world that believed in me as much as he did.  I will not let him down.

When change happens, whether good or bad, it is always an opportunity to find the lessons & accept the assignment.  It’s simple to be swallowed up by the tight grasp that fear can have on you, but before you resign to becoming the victim of a situation consider seeing it from a different perspective.   When you change your perspective you can be relieved of the stress & worry that is keeping you from happiness.

Everything really does happen for a reason.  It’s how we see it & how we approach it that keeps us moving in the right direction.

Is there a road block that you’re currently experiencing that is keeping you stuck & unhappy?  Do find it difficult to pull yourself out of negative & destructive self talk?  Let me know in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear your stories of how you overcame obstacles only to see beauty & light on the other side.

Don’t miss the moment!