With the New Year coming up, everyone is getting ready to write down their resolutions on what they’re going to change in their lives for the following year. But, if you’re like me, change can be pretty scary.
When I went off to college this past fall, I kept telling myself “change is good” whenever I came across a situation I was unsure of. Whether that was me moving into college, going back to my high school as “alumni,” getting a haircut, or rearranging my dorm… all of these things became “changes.” Even though I told myself that these changes were, in fact good, I didn’t really believe it. I let the quote be my excuse for how I dealt with the different things life was throwing at me. I didn’t truly embrace the “change is good” attitude I was preaching.
Within these past few weeks, I’ve realized that change is one of the biggest factors of life. Life is constantly changing and moving forward in order for us to grow and learn. In fact, change is one of the most inevitable and natural things in life. For example, without change we wouldn’t have the seasons. Pretty crazy, huh? (Although I’m sure plenty of you would be content with fall, year round.)
So, as you go into this new year of 2016, I ask you to do one thing. Stop being so afraid of change! Without change, you would be exactly where you started. You’d never have gotten that promotion. You’d still have those nasty split ends. You wouldn’t have lost those 10 pounds. You'd still be dating that jerk that didn't respect you. You wouldn’t be making a difference in the world. You’d still be going through that “graphic tee” phase from middle school. Most importantly, you wouldn’t have made it this far.
Take it from one stranger to another, I’m proud of you for the changes you’ve made to better yourself. If you want to get fit this year, I believe in you. If you want to read more, I believe in you. If you want to go back to school to get a degree for your dream career, I have no doubt that you can do it. If you want to become a better person and donate your time, I believe you can do that, too.
Grab this bull, or year, by the horns and make the changes you need to get where you want to go. The only thing stopping you is yourself.
Stop being afraid of making a change.
If my advice just isn’t cutting it, here’s some advice from others that might give you the push that you need.
"If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living." -Gail Sheehy
"The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." -Socrates
"Just when the caterpillar thought that the world was over, it became a butterfly." -Proverb
"The important thing is this: be ready to sacrifice what you are for what you could become." -Charles Dickens
"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." -Alan Watts
"If we crave a change, why not start today?" - "Wild Wild World", Set It Off
Here's to a happy new year; and hopefully a year full of change!
