“This is the time for new beginnings. Many of you feel the urge for change, you know something from deep within wants to come out and be heard in the world.”
— QuantumAngel.com

I have to admit that I have felt this strong urge for change from deep within. There is something inside me that wants to come out and tell the world something important. Sometimes, I doubt this feeling and even ignore it. But it is actually stronger than I first thought and it will find a way to come out.

Do you have these types of stirrings within you? Sometimes change can seem frightening, but you can find the confidence and energy within you to face your new challenges.

Take a new look at old situations, learn a new skill, be open to different approaches to life. Whatever it is, you will learn more about yourself when you allow yourself to be stretched out by these new circumstances that may come into your life.

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”
— Wayne Dyer

As I note my day-to-day moods, I have to come to the conclusion that this quote is very true. When I am miserable, I hear this conversation with myself actually deciding whether or not I want to stay that way a little longer, or to just shake it off and move along to something better.

I was miserable one moment, then the next I wasn’t. Did my circumstances change? Nope. Only my attitude about them did. And funny enough, because my attitude changed, the problems that I labeled the cause of my misery also seemed to change somehow. They suddenly seemed lighter, less important. Or at least other things seemed more important.

I have now begun to focus on positive constructive ways to alleviate the situation that was bringing me down. That was my choice.

“If something can be changed, work to change it. If it cannot, why
worry, be upset, or complain?” — Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life

I used to walk my kids to school almost everyday. And on the way back home I would usually find one of the other mom’s to chat with about the day to day stuff of moms, and our community, etc. When I got back today, I realized almost our entire conversation revolved around all the things we didn’t like, the things that were going wrong, the things that bugged us. It actually felt funny to say as we parted, “Have a nice day!” since we just had so much negativity in the air a few seconds before.

It was an eye opener for me. How easy it is to allow yourself to think and talk negatively, even in simple day to day social situations. And when we remember that we attract more of what we focus on, it really brings the reality of our harmless idle chit-chat home. And what was important for me to realize is that even though I feel that I am a positive person most of the time, it is easy to slide into the less positive words of others in social situations.

So, let’s remember this wise advice when the urge arises to complain: If something can be changed, let’s work to change it. And if you need to discuss less than happy or good situations, find ways to do it that focus on the positive changes that can be made, not just the complaints for the sake of complaining.

“Change is inevitable, growth is intentional.”
—Glenda Cloud

When things fall apart, it can be seen as a test and also can be seen as a form of healing. But it is not always a test that you either pass or fail. Sometimes it is just observing how things can come together and how they also can fall apart. The healing happens when you release control of the situation and allow for these things to happen as they need to. You also allow for the necessary emotions to come and most importantly go as they need to; be it grief, joy, love, anger, whatever.

The reality is we may not truly ever know how situations are going go. Something we believe will bring us great joy may bring us great sorrow. Something we feel will bring only grief and misery may actually bring joy and pleasure. Sometimes we think we’re at the end of it all but it turns out we are at the beginning of something else.

The reality is that change is inevitable and life teaches us that things are always in transition. When things seemingly fall apart, other things are being built up. Experience each situation that life gives you to its fullest and then keep on moving to the next moment in the now and intentionally grow into you.

“I even moved to a new city, where nobody knew me. [...] Well, I found that moving didn’t help. I had taken myself with me.”
— Neale Donald Walsch

When things are just not going well, it’s such a wonderful thought to change your surroundings. Just move away from all the challenges in your life. New place, new home, new people around you, new distractions. At least at first. Only one small little oversight, you go wherever you move. And if things aren’t right with you where you are right now, chances are it may have little to do with where you live and more to do with the way you are living your life.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t move. But while you are going, take a look at all the assets you want to bring with you. Don’t immediately toss out the ones you think are “negative” either. Just like certain furniture, you can save your assets by giving them a quick polish.

As Neale Donald Walsch states, “All of your so-called faults, all the things which you don’t like about yourself are your greatest assets. They are simply over-amplified. The volume has been turned up a bit too much, that’s all.”

So take an inventory: stubborn equals strong, flighty equals spontaneous, angry equals passionate, etc. All you have to do is use these behaviors differently, not throw them out. These “negative” ways of being can be turned into gifts when used properly and with the right amount of energy.

“When the student is ready, the master appears.”
— Buddhist saying

Making changes in your life is something for which you may have to mentally prepare yourself. As I have mentioned before, change begins when you make the decision to do so. It is the catalyst that starts the engine of change going along it’s new tracks.

Certain new goals you decide on could use some outside guidance or instruction or support. Your new decision for change will subconsciously send out the message that you are ready to accept guidance and assistance for this new journey. So be ready for the “master” to appear. And even more so, be ready to accept the guidance or wisdom offered to you at that moment of synchronicity.

“Nothing is more tragic than someone who has sight, but no vision.”
— Helen Keller

What is the vision of your future? If you were to project yourself into the future, say five years from now, on the current path you are heading, what do you see? Are you happy, are you living to your fullest potential?

Now, take this one step further. If you were to make some changes in your life that you have been contemplating but haven’t quite made the leap in that direction — see yourself in five years from that point with these changes influencing your path. What’s different? What’s better?

I had help projecting myself into the future and was pleased and motivated by the second level of being. If I were to leave my inhibitions behind and just go for it, what a difference it would make in my life, even five years down the road.

Sometimes even the most logical changes to be made are difficult to commit to since they are not immediately rewarded. Quitting smoking, losing weight, building a successful business, to name but a few goals, these take time and considerable effort to achieve and then maintain. A month or even a year down the road doesn’t necessarily mark the end of the goal or the complete rewards for your efforts. But five years, ten years, twenty years will definitely see the mark of these positive changes.

“You lose your balance when you say, ‘I will not accept what is happening to me.’”
— Marilyn Eileen Charlton, Life on the Causal Plain, A Glimpse of Heaven

You lose your own intuitive guidance when you don’t accept what is happening to you in your life. The main goal for change is to become balanced again. In the simplest terms we are all striving for balance in our lives. However, because in real life we are always in a state of change, balance doesn’t mean motionless or perfection. This real life balance comes by going with the flow of life and accepting even the times that are not as easy to understand or to accept.

Life is not simply a predetermined destination. It is the journey that we are on every day. There may be unexpected curves and turns in the road we are on. We may encounter low valleys and high mountains. However, with each step we take on this journey, we are shaping who we are and who we will become. And with this adventurous path, every day, we will discover the best in ourselves — if we accept what happens to us along the way.

“You’re alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act.”
—Barbara Hall ,A Summons to New Orleans, 2000

Imagine you enter a movie theatre and the main feature presentation is called “Your Life So Far”. Now hopefully it’s not the type of movie that you are tempted to walk out of before it’s done, because the great thing about this movie is that the ending has not been written yet. Think of it more as a sneak preview. A teaser. You get front row seats to probably the most thematically changing storyline ever written. Is it a comedy? Sometimes. Is it a tragedy? Unfortunately there are parts that fit the title. Is it a love story? Most definitely. But what is the big picture?

It’s time to develop your life theme. Your life theme will be your overriding intention or “big picture” focus for the rest of your movie. It has no official deadline or final draft. You can re-evaluate the storyline direction whenever needed. However, this life theme is like having a personal mission statement for your whole life. You are the writer, the director, the star actor. Make it a blockbuster hit by living up to your ultimate potential. The first part was just setting the stage. Go for it now because now is the time.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”
— Robert Frost

Improvement and change occur when you do things repeatedly and consistently. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any of the momentum you need to succeed. Find ways to keep yourself on track and motivated. It is easy to create reasons not to stick to your goals. We get sick, we get tired, we have to travel, we get discouraged, we are stressed.

Here are some tricks to staying motivated and keeping change consistent in your life: Be reasonable with your goals by not taking on too much too quickly. Write your goals down in your calendar and make them as big a priority as every other appointment you have. Find support near by — a friend, a spouse, even a virtual computer buddy to keep you on track. Keep things fun — when it’s fun, it’s that much easier to do. Keep a journal so you can see your progress.