So, it's a new year. A new month, a new you, right? Everyone talks about their New Year's resolutions and how they are going to change this year. Then, everyone talks about how they didn't keep their New Year's resolution from last year. Even if you didn't keep it, you are still a new you. You have still changed, so even if it wasn't your New Year's Resolution per se as to how you changed, you are still a new you. Reflect back on the events that have happened in your life the last year. Are you the same today as you were exactly one year ago? The answer is no because you have changed and grown as a person.

I remember being a kid and hating spaghetti. My mom would make it all the time but I just didn’t want to eat it. Now, I love spaghetti. I also remember being a kid and being probably the shyest kid in class. Now, I just have that kind of personality that has never met a stranger. I am always outgoing and no one would even put in the same category as shy. My point is that things change. Change is inevitable with all things in life, and there is nothing that we can do about it.

It is a commonality for people to hate change, myself being one of them. I guess most people are just wired that way. We get into our comfort zones and our daily routines and if something happens to throw us off track, we don’t like it. We like what we are used to. We like what we know. I am sure most people hate change for the same reasons. We are scared of the unknown. We don’t know what will happen or where life will take us. We have been familiar with something and now it is going to be different.

A lot of people tend to resist change because they are scared of what might happen. Maybe you’re scared you won’t like the new job as much as the old one. Or maybe you are nervous about moving to a new city. Maybe you don’t want to let go of a relationship. Unfortunately, change is hard. There is no easy way around it. It’s just part of it, but since it is inevitable, why not learn to embrace it?

Even though change is hard, there is more good about change than there is bad. We, as people, are constantly growing and transforming into new and better people. We grow because of the life experiences that we face. We learn to deal with the good and the bad. We make mistakes and we learn from them. The reason why we are constantly growing is because everything is constantly changing. How could we grow if everything always stayed the same? We couldn’t. And almost always, whatever we are facing, we may not understand it at the time, but it makes sense at a later date.

I am the type of person that is hungry for personal growth and development. Every day I strive to want to be a better person in every way. I also know this cannot happen without change. I believe a person learns best from their own life experiences. Someone can tell you something or you can read about something, which is great, but some of life’s best lessons are learned because of experience.

So, coming from a person who used to hate change, I now embrace change. We are only here for a short while so I want to soak up as much of this life that I can. The more we change, the more we grow. I love to look back at my life and think about how much I have grown as a person because of some of the most uncomfortable situations that I have been through. I would not have the strength that I do today if I had not had to face those changes.

So, moving forward, I always try to look for ways that I can embrace change. If I have an opportunity that will stretch me and allow that personal growth, then I jump on it and embrace it. Too many times my gut has tried to talk to me and tell me that it is time to move on from a situation and I didn't listen to it. That voice only gets bigger and louder and eventually, I have no choice but to listen to it. I know you have been there, too. I believe that voice is the sign that we have to listen to and let us know it's time for a change. Stop ignoring that voice. Try a new job. Do something you wouldn’t normally do. Travel as much as you can, as often as you can. Even small changes are good because they are out of your norm.

So, as the new year begins, allow yourself to grow. Allow yourself to change because you really are a new you.