Embrace Change

Just as the Earth moves through its seasons each year,
and the tides of the sea are constantly flowing,
as the weather shifts to be something new every day,
and nature is constantly reforming,
we grow, we shift, we move, and we feel different
each day, hour, minute, second.
It marks something new,
a change that is beyond our control.

Everything we feel, taste, think, create is different each time,
nothing is ever the same again.
It is constantly ebbing and flowing, constantly altering.
It is never tangible but is always happening.
It is inevitable.
We have the choice to embrace it, or to resist it,
Though even if we are resisting, it is still happening,
whether we want it to or not.
- Poem by Cassie Burge

Embracing change allows space for growth, education, freedom, creativity, opportunity, space, and gratitude. That’s not to say it isn’t challenging, painful, or even met at times with fear, but if we can sit in a space of embrace - we are allowing ourselves to co-create with the universe, instead of trying to manipulate it to our will.

“Change is the only constant in life” - Heraclitus

For some, the idea of constant and never-ending change is terrifying, as it often involves risk or the loss of whatever is comfortable and familiar. Stepping into the unknown ignites fear and is often viewed with dread instead of excitement. It gives us an opportunity which has the potential to improve our life or circumstance. The ultimate goal of life is not to just live a life of comfort, but to be open to new possibilities and adventures.

Resistance to change stems from fear of the unknown, which can often lead to controlling behaviours and habits. When you try to resist change, you are essentially robbing yourself of the experiences that can transform your life on all levels - emotionally, spiritually, personally, professionally, mentally, and physically.

So how do we help our fears? We can start by shifting our mindset.

A beautiful analogy that famous teacher, author, and motivational speaker, Jack Canfield, has given before is - to think of ‘change’ as a river flowing downstream, following its natural state of being with the law of gravity.
When you resist it, it feels like trying to row upstream during a flood.
When you accept change and embrace it, is it likely to easily flow downstream.
You may still need to row to avoid ramming into a rock, tree or a bridge, but it won’t feel like you are fighting the current. Life gets easier.

In previous blogs and on the Soul Sanctuary, we have touched on the yogic philosophy and meaning of dharma (your soul’s purpose), but prior to residing in this state, you need to wade through the depths of your hesitations, your resistance, your limiting beliefs, your fears, and start making the steps to live in alignment with what your soul’s purpose is.

Journaling Exercise:

Try this journaling exercise using basic yet profound questions, like - what, who, and which place makes you feel alive? What emotions come up when you think of these things?

Here are some additional journal prompts for you to work with this month:

✨ When was the last time you were truly happy?
✨ What activities make you feel alive?
✨ What people in your life have energy that lifts you?
✨ What elements of your life are you controlling? Why do you think this is?
✨ What thoughts get in the way of you making changes that would benefit you?
✨ If you were truly honest with yourself, what scares you about making changes?
✨ What is one small step you can take towards making a positive change in any area of your life?

Challenging your fears may fill you with anxiety and dread, but what if you were to break down your fears into small incremental steps, so the overwhelm and the tasks didn’t seem so huge or unachievable? We can take a similar approach with working towards our goals - knowing what our ideal goal is, and then working backwards from this point so that we can take small steps towards accomplishing them.

Did you know that most forms of fear are limiting beliefs (these are the beliefs you hold and what you are capable of)? The thing is, only YOU can do anything about these beliefs. It’s not up to anybody else, yet so often we put the pressure or responsibility of our own happiness, goals, and dreams on others. If we acknowledge this, work on getting to the root cause of our fears and start shifting our mindset, we would often find that change doesn’t have to be as scary as we think.

There are many incredible speakers, authors, teachers, gurus, mentors, family members, and friends out there in the world who can inspire you to start embracing change with a positive mindset. We’ve listed a few that we have taken inspiration from at the bottom of this blog.

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