Embracing Unexpected Change

By Linda Salazar
For many people, one the greatest fears they experience in life is the changes they are faced with when they believe they are not up to the challenge. Especially when the change is sudden and unexpected.
Unexpected change, such as losing a job, death of a loved one, a natural disaster, your partner leaving you or a life threatening illness, can leave you feeling frustrated, scared, angry, stuck or even incompetent. And below all of that can be a feeling that you have lost a part of yourself that you will not be able to get back.

It’s very comfortable to live in a personal world where there are no monumental changes but comfortable doesn’t necessarily bring growth, expansion and greater opportunities to your life. And, as we all know, it’s impossible to avoid certain changes. However, in every unexpected change there is a greater gain to be had even though it doesn’t feel like it in the initial moment of the experience.
In times of such change, no matter how big or small, it is so important to watch the story your inner Gremlin starts to tell you and whether or not there is any truth in that story or if it’s just your imagination running wild because of the initial shock and fear of what you are experiencing. Once you’re aware of the story you’re telling yourself, take a deep breath, slow your mind down and come back to the present moment. Chances are, with the change you are suddenly facing, you immediately went out into the future and imagined all the worst possible scenarios!

Break down the change into bite size pieces so you’re looking at one step at a time. I realize that the bigger and more emotional a perceived negative change is, the harder it is to move through it. But the bigger truth is, you can and will move through it, because inside of you is a strength that just may surprise you. The sooner you begin the process of managing your energy on purpose around the change and take whatever actions you can to help yourself through, the easier it will be to deal with the change.
Norman Vincent Peale said, "Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.

Make a move."
Everyone of you reading this has been through some kind of change in your life, big, or small. In your control, or not. Maybe there was great fear and tremendous doubt at the time, but nonetheless, you’re still here and you made it through. It makes a difference for those guaranteed future changes, to remind yourself of changes you’ve already gotten through.
This week spend some time reflecting back through your life and write down all the changes you’ve been through that have impacted you. Then write down what you’ve learned because of those changes and how you have personally changed for the better. At the top of the paper put, My Successful Life Changes and keep that piece of paper in a safe place where it is easily accessible.

The next time you’re in the middle of an unexpected change or even one you’re considering making, read what you wrote, allowing your words to remind you of the inner strength that is always there for you to draw upon and know that you will once again discover all there is to be gained by change. On another piece of paper, in one column write down your fears around the new change your presently experiencing. In the second column write down all the opportunities that could possibly come to be because of the change. Once you mastered that change you can now add it to your list on the My Successful Life Changes paper.

I hope you have pages upon pages of My Successful Life Changes!

And remember:
"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances." Bruce Barton --Founder of BBDO Advertising