If you are like some people, you don't like change very much. Change is hard and as we are creatures of habit often letting go of the old habits, the old way of being and the old you can be quite an effort. But what are we afraid of?
Change involves the process of letting go, which might be easier than it sounds. If you are graced with being able to let go easily then thank your lucky stars as letting go is something that people often have to work on.
To make matters worse the ego shies away from change and in most cases rejects it. To the ego, change represents a death and since it is really a death of a way of being, the ego has reasons to be afraid! But the beauty of it is that after the death we are reborn and have the chance to redefine who we are. Who we are is never constant but should change and evolve over time as we experience all life has to offer.
To really live in the moment means that we have to train ourselves to be flexible and to adapt to change. The benefit of this is when change happens the process is much easier and not fraught with anxiety.
When we find it hard to let go, the process is drawn out and usually anxiety-provoking, so it is very uncomfortable and as a reaction part of the personality can become very rigid and inflexible to change thinking that might solve future problems.
What I find is that life is constantly shifting and changing and you can't allow yourself to be stagnant and unchanging. Also as relationships continue to evolve and change if you don't then part of your relationship gets left behind, whether it's a significant other, friends or work relationships.
So I ask you, ask yourself what it is that you find hard when something is trying to change. Is it the change itself making you unsettled, is it fear of the unknown, or something else? When you discover what you are really afraid of it makes the whole process easier as you can acknowledge your fears but go on changing anyway. And besides, being able to redefine yourself is just an amazing experience. It's not scary to ask yourself who you are, it's a chance to be someone totally new.
Originally published on Oct 28, 2011
