COPING WITH THE CHANGE: HOW TO EMBRACE THE UNEXPECTED

• Has your life changed because of the pandemic?

• Are you struggling with the changes?

I think we would be hard pressed to find someone that has not experienced change in the past 9 months. I am no exception.

When the world seemed to push a pause button last March because of the worldwide pandemic, I like everyone else had to learn how to function within a new normal. I needed to completely and quickly turn my business upside down by functioning 💯 percent remotely. This was a crazy time I won’t lie. Our team had to learn on the fly.

The additional changes that I have experienced are many: three months working from home, financial worries, fears about the health of dear ones, trips to see family canceled, changes in my children’s mode of education, long time periods of not seeing loved ones, many, many “What if…” thoughts.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg as it is for so many.

But I will also be honest dear reader. As much as my life has changed, I really want to find meaning and purpose in a kind of time I never thought I would experience in my lifetime.

The pause button of the pandemic has allowed me to reflect on what was and what was not working in my life.

I can also tell you, this list is long but here are just a few.

• I was working too many hours during the week and feeling utterly depleted by the weekend.

• I was trying to force myself to function within a business model that I didn’t necessarily fully embrace.

• I was feeling satisfied with my life path, but not feeling FULLY alive.

I realize that I want more.

• I want to feel more passion about my purpose and help more people.

• I want to wake up so excited for my day I can’t wait to get started.

• I want more human connectedness.

• I want my faith to grow.

• I want to feel more fully present and experience more joy in the moment.

Because of all of the changes that I mentioned above, I have had more time to ponder my “I Want…” list.

What I have uncovered is that this is truly THE best time, THE BEST opportunity that I have ever had to create the life I want.

How do we embrace the unexpected during these unprecedented times?

1. Daily introspection (for me during times of prayers and devotions) in which I am honest with myself.

Insert me looking like this…

2. Stop 🛑 the negative and fear filled narratives of our thoughts right in their tracks. Practicing gratitude begets more gratitude.

• “I am grateful to be adopting an attitude that sees opportunity versus loss, purpose versus pessimism, hope versus fear.”
• “I am grateful that even little actions are producing little changes and I want MORE of that.”

3. Confront the unacceptable in our lives. Acknowledge the choices we have to either continue as is or take the scary steps of change.

Change can often feel like this:

But it is a necessary step in taking charge of the trajectory of our lives.

4. Understand and embrace our ability to choose! Repeat aloud after me…

• “I can choose my attitude.”

• “I can choose to change what is not working in my life.”

• “I can feel peace, joy, love, passion.”

5. Choose action! Action is the only way that life can begin to move in the direction we want it to go.

I continue to acknowledge that life has changed in many challenging ways. But I have embraced this time by doing all of the above. It has been making a difference. Here is how the changes are manifesting themselves.

• I knew I enjoyed writing. I now know I LOVE it. I feel creative. I read more. I research more. I am enjoying the process and it makes me feel alive. I may not be a New York Times Best Selling Author but I am loving writing for the pure pleasure it gives me.
• I have more time with my family as I have adjusted to periods of time that I must work from home. My family is my life. By embracing this change versus grumbling about the challenges has increased my joy of being with them more.
• My little rescue dog, Chester “Pockets” Nicklaus loves having me around more. He follows me from room to room and it makes me feel like I am the most important person in the world. Who doesn’t love feeling like that? 
• I am exploring new ways of helping people and I love the excitement of it. Even working through the vast “Ugh!” moments that I have shared about in this blog have resulted in feelings of accomplishments and growth.

So for now, for this crazy time we are all living through, may we begin to reframe the lense from which we are viewing our experiences.

May we embrace this time as an opportunity to reexamine our lives. Keep what is working. Discard what isn’t. It isn’t easy but it is oh so worth it!

What changes are you struggling with? What has been your most difficult challenge? Send me an email through the link below. I will be addressing future blog posts to respond to your thoughts and concerns. 

We are all in this together. We, none of us, are alone.

Blessings dear ones,

Christine