Embrace the Change

Embrace the Change
almost 3 years ago

At different points and for different reasons in our lives we all go through change. Here's what transition has taught me in the last year.

Transition or change can be a scary word for most. So many people live in fear of change, they are terrified of a change in their job, in their home, in their relationships, whereas I have learned the value of change and experienced how it has made such a great and positive impact in my life.

Don't get me wrong transition is never easy and can be quite complicated and messy. I knew this going into it last year when my family and I had made the HUGE decision to make some changes in our lives.

When we decided to sell our home, most of our belongings, quit our jobs, pull our boys from school and travel for 6 months, we knew we were in for BIG change! It may sound extreme to most and it was, but it was what we needed in our lives at the time to re-evaluate where we were and where we wanted to go in life.

Now that we've been back for 6 months what a difference it has made!

Biggest Fears of Change

When we first started discussing our adventure a lot of fears surfaced for us and from our loved ones.

  • How will the boys stay educated?
  • How will it affect Rhys and his hockey season?
  • How will it affect the boys relationships and friendships?
  • Where will we live?
  • How will we afford to pay for it all?
  • What if something BAD happens?

These were just a few of the common questions asked when we told people. While these may be specific to our situation, there is a common theme here that scare most people when it comes to dealing with change.

How will CHANGE affect our lives!

Obviously if we felt that our lives were perfect we wouldn't have needed to make any changes and we probably would have continued on as we were being happy and at peace with life...but we weren't happy, things weren't perfect, not even close...hence Change!

There are so many people going through life unhappy with their family, their friends, their job, their finances, their whatever, yet they are so afraid of what change will do to their lives that they never step outside of their comfort zone and see what might happen on the other side.

You don't have to be as intense with change as my family and I were, even making one change at a time can be beneficial to your life.

Some of the most common roadblocks that come up in regards to change are these:

1. The fear of failure - most of us fear failure so much that we never really live to our true potential...you gotta get over that! Life is full of failures big and small and some of the greatest failures have lead to some of the greatest achievements. Check out these 6.

2. Caring what others think - OMG, what if someone disagrees with your decision! Will your life end? Will you cease to exist?...doubt it! So why do you care about what others think about the choices you make for your life? Do you care about all the decisions everyone else makes in theirs? If you do, you need to find a new hobby. It's YOUR life and you were given the choice to live it the way you want. Here are 10 Clear Reasons Why You Shouldn't Care What Others Think.

worry, what others think, Eleanor Roosevelt

3. Not believing that you can - This is a big one for so many people, most people think that change is out of their reach and they begin each sentence with "I can't..."

"I can't quit my job"

"I can't move to another city/country"

"I can't afford to travel"

"i can't start my own business"

"i can't..."

think, can't, henry ford

Of course, if you understand this statement you understand how powerful your mindset is. There is always going to be a million reasons to talk yourself out of something, but it's up to you how important the end result will be and how great the fear is in relation to it.

There will never be a perfect time to do anything. All the stars are not going to align to give you a sign that the timing is right. You have to trust your gut and know that what you want in life is within your reach if you are willing to make the changes to get there.

Will it be easy? NO

Will you have hesitation? YES

Will there be moments in the middle you wish you could turn back? OF COURSE

Will it be worth it? DEFINITELY

change, transition

There were many times along our journey last year that I though to myself

"What have I done???"

Actually, it usually came with an expletive attached and a slight rise in my blood pressure and heart rate, that is natural, that is life.

There are still times now that I have these thoughts. Being back home now and finding our groove with our new perspective on our lives moving forward has been challenging for sure. As I said before, transition isn't always easy.  Going back to work, watching my children adjust to new schools, new hockey teams and a new home has tested us and even though the thought "What have I done?" creeps back in on occasion, I am always quick to find peace within myself, my husband and my kids.

We have all learned that we are stronger than we thought, and we can get through times of transition and change and come out better on the other side. There will always bumps in the road with dealing with transition, some are bigger than others, but isn't that true of life in general.

Another thing that I have learned through all the transitions I've made in my life, whether big or small, whether I've succeeded or failed (although I never see anything as a failure, only lessons learned), is that I did them for a reason.

When we choose to do something different with our lives it isn't random. We are filling a greater desire within us, to better ourselves, to better our situation to better our lives. You can't regret what has been done, and you can't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

Some transitions take more thought and planning than others, say for instance selling your house, and your belongings, quitting your job, pulling your kids out of school and traveling for 6 months...lol. But not all change has to be this drastic, this bold or this complex.

I have also learned that I am in constant transition. Some people are perfectly content staying where they are, doing what they're doing and if you're one of those people, great! But if you're not, if you want one thing or many things to change in your life than you need to embrace change and be ready for the good days and bad.  Get ready to face criticism and maybe even be judged, but know that what you are doing is what is best for you at that specific time in your life.

And finally I have learned that...

change, robin sharma

Jessilyn xx

Living like the McCashes