HOW TO WELCOME CHANGE IN 13 STEPS
By Sarah Elovich
1. Stop saying “Change is hard.”
Because it’s not. Change is effortless. Look around you and notice all of the things that are constantly changing, without you having to spend an ounce of your conscious energy.
The sun rises and sets, and in between the colors and shadows are constantly changing incrementally throughout the day. Seasons melt from one into the next. Your eyelashes are growing right now. Food you ate two hours ago has been changed into energy, water, and waste.
Have you been breathing while reading this? Then you have been changing since you started reading this article.
Reading these words and thinking about this concept is changing tiny connections in your brain, right now.
Change isn't hard, but it can be uncomfortable.
What's even more uncomfortable is pushing against yourself, hurling yourself into a future that doesn't exist, and beating yourself up for not being there yet. You're not there yet. Because you are in process.
Life is about change. Stop resisting it.
2. Tell everyone you’re changing.
Yes, tell your friends and your family. But also, tell your neighbor. The checkout guy at the grocery store. Roll down your window at a red light, smile, and then inform a complete stranger that you are embarking on a strange and wonderful journey of change.
Staying it out loud to others makes it real. This prevents you from backing out because there’s a chance someone else might hold you accountable.
Now your declaration is alive in the world. Notice how saying the words "I'm changing" changes you.
3. Change your hair.
I am not kidding.
Dye it. Cut it. Curl it. Grow a beard or shave a moustache.
You’ll look different to yourself and others. People will notice that you’ve started to change. And people love noticing that you've changed.
Your outward change signals that you are changing on a deeper level. It also gives you a new, true and tangible story to tell: "I am already changing."
Plus, your hair will grow back anyway, all on its own (see point number 1).
4. Clean up old business.
Take out the trash. Donate clothes you don’t wear. Throw out expired sunscreen. Do the dishes and the laundry. Pay the bills. Tackle the piles that have built up.
Make literal space for your change to occur. I personally know someone who discovered a $13,000 wad of cash stashed in a hole behind a loose tile in her bathroom while doing a deep clean.
There are gifts to be found in cleaning out the old, even if the gift is simply empty space for the new.
5. Get rid of friends who complain, blame, bully, gossip, and gaslight.
If they don’t add anything positive to your life, stop calling them. You don’t have room anymore for anyone draining or toxic. Watch how easily new people flow into your life.
6. Envision your new life.
Now that you've made some space, sit down and close your eyes. Imagine your new daily routine. What will your new Tuesday morning look like? Write it down. Get specific. Stay with your vision by rereading what you wrote for three days in a row.
If you're into this kind of thing, make a vision board. Talk about your new life with expectancy, the same kind of expectancy you have about the spring, or Saturday. It's already on it's way.
7. Ask for support.
Tell the people you trust that you are changing. Tell them you’re going to need their support. Ask them to listen. Guard against unsolicited feedback. Share only with those you trust.
8. Practice being present.
Tune in to how you are feeling. Use all five senses. Staying present helps you notice what is really going on, and being present to reality helps you take the best possible care of yourself through change.
9. Cover the basics.
Water. Meditation. Exercise. Basic self-care keeps stress at a minimum. Reinvention can be stressful and tiring; no need to make it harder on yourself.
And a special note on sleep. Just being awake all day causes, well, brain damage. The brain has built-in mechanisms to combat oxidative stress that only kick in during sleep. So even if you don't feel particularly stressed out, prioritizing sleep throughout your metamorphosis will help your brain rest and recover from all of the changes you're incorporating into your life.
10. Practice patience.
Change takes time. If a decision does not need to be made this moment, don’t decide. Trust that you will have everything that you need, in the right time.
Study a moon calendar. Notice when it is full and when it is new. When possible, synchronize taking on new practices when the moon is waxing. Initiate letting go rituals when the moon is waning.
11. Focus on internal validation.
You used external validation at the beginning of your change by telling others you were changing. On some level, you were probably asking them for their approval, or for encouragement, or at the very least, for their acceptance.
Now, you need to encourage yourself.
Remember what you are changing and why. Change can be uncomfortable, but it’s worth it. You are growing and stretching and learning.
Measure your progress. Look at how far you have come already. You have already changed. Compare yourself to your own damn self, not to anyone else, and give yourself credit.
12. Face fear.
Fear can be helpful when it keeps us safe.
But know this: There is nothing safer than following the path we were meant to walk.
Follow that path and do the scary thing, knowing that you will survive and change, no matter what.
13. Embrace change.
New things, new emotions, new perspectives - it will sometimes be fast and furious, sometimes bafflingly slow. Take time every day to notice and embrace each change occuring in your life.
Your desires put into action are bringing forth change. Feel change like the wind on your face. Relish it. Luxuriate in the feeling of change. This is what they call "enjoying the process."
Reinvention of this nature started inside you on a deep level. Be present to its gifts. Tune in and be grateful for it.
Because it’s not. Change is effortless. Look around you and notice all of the things that are constantly changing, without you having to spend an ounce of your conscious energy.
The sun rises and sets, and in between the colors and shadows are constantly changing incrementally throughout the day. Seasons melt from one into the next. Your eyelashes are growing right now. Food you ate two hours ago has been changed into energy, water, and waste.
Have you been breathing while reading this? Then you have been changing since you started reading this article.
Reading these words and thinking about this concept is changing tiny connections in your brain, right now.
Change isn't hard, but it can be uncomfortable.
What's even more uncomfortable is pushing against yourself, hurling yourself into a future that doesn't exist, and beating yourself up for not being there yet. You're not there yet. Because you are in process.
Life is about change. Stop resisting it.
2. Tell everyone you’re changing.
Yes, tell your friends and your family. But also, tell your neighbor. The checkout guy at the grocery store. Roll down your window at a red light, smile, and then inform a complete stranger that you are embarking on a strange and wonderful journey of change.
Staying it out loud to others makes it real. This prevents you from backing out because there’s a chance someone else might hold you accountable.
Now your declaration is alive in the world. Notice how saying the words "I'm changing" changes you.
3. Change your hair.
I am not kidding.
Dye it. Cut it. Curl it. Grow a beard or shave a moustache.
You’ll look different to yourself and others. People will notice that you’ve started to change. And people love noticing that you've changed.
Your outward change signals that you are changing on a deeper level. It also gives you a new, true and tangible story to tell: "I am already changing."
Plus, your hair will grow back anyway, all on its own (see point number 1).
4. Clean up old business.
Take out the trash. Donate clothes you don’t wear. Throw out expired sunscreen. Do the dishes and the laundry. Pay the bills. Tackle the piles that have built up.
Make literal space for your change to occur. I personally know someone who discovered a $13,000 wad of cash stashed in a hole behind a loose tile in her bathroom while doing a deep clean.
There are gifts to be found in cleaning out the old, even if the gift is simply empty space for the new.
5. Get rid of friends who complain, blame, bully, gossip, and gaslight.
If they don’t add anything positive to your life, stop calling them. You don’t have room anymore for anyone draining or toxic. Watch how easily new people flow into your life.
6. Envision your new life.
Now that you've made some space, sit down and close your eyes. Imagine your new daily routine. What will your new Tuesday morning look like? Write it down. Get specific. Stay with your vision by rereading what you wrote for three days in a row.
If you're into this kind of thing, make a vision board. Talk about your new life with expectancy, the same kind of expectancy you have about the spring, or Saturday. It's already on it's way.
7. Ask for support.
Tell the people you trust that you are changing. Tell them you’re going to need their support. Ask them to listen. Guard against unsolicited feedback. Share only with those you trust.
8. Practice being present.
Tune in to how you are feeling. Use all five senses. Staying present helps you notice what is really going on, and being present to reality helps you take the best possible care of yourself through change.
9. Cover the basics.
Water. Meditation. Exercise. Basic self-care keeps stress at a minimum. Reinvention can be stressful and tiring; no need to make it harder on yourself.
And a special note on sleep. Just being awake all day causes, well, brain damage. The brain has built-in mechanisms to combat oxidative stress that only kick in during sleep. So even if you don't feel particularly stressed out, prioritizing sleep throughout your metamorphosis will help your brain rest and recover from all of the changes you're incorporating into your life.
10. Practice patience.
Change takes time. If a decision does not need to be made this moment, don’t decide. Trust that you will have everything that you need, in the right time.
Study a moon calendar. Notice when it is full and when it is new. When possible, synchronize taking on new practices when the moon is waxing. Initiate letting go rituals when the moon is waning.
11. Focus on internal validation.
You used external validation at the beginning of your change by telling others you were changing. On some level, you were probably asking them for their approval, or for encouragement, or at the very least, for their acceptance.
Now, you need to encourage yourself.
Remember what you are changing and why. Change can be uncomfortable, but it’s worth it. You are growing and stretching and learning.
Measure your progress. Look at how far you have come already. You have already changed. Compare yourself to your own damn self, not to anyone else, and give yourself credit.
12. Face fear.
Fear can be helpful when it keeps us safe.
But know this: There is nothing safer than following the path we were meant to walk.
Follow that path and do the scary thing, knowing that you will survive and change, no matter what.
13. Embrace change.
New things, new emotions, new perspectives - it will sometimes be fast and furious, sometimes bafflingly slow. Take time every day to notice and embrace each change occuring in your life.
Your desires put into action are bringing forth change. Feel change like the wind on your face. Relish it. Luxuriate in the feeling of change. This is what they call "enjoying the process."
Reinvention of this nature started inside you on a deep level. Be present to its gifts. Tune in and be grateful for it.
