A student was having a hard time adjusting to the higher expectations of first grade. He was greatly displeased by the removal of nap time. He thought we should all get naps! I silently agreed, but said “Honey, things change”. He replied, “Well, I don’t like it.” You know what, me either.
So much has been written about the good that comes from embracing change. How important it is to close doors so others will open. In fact, I have quotes taped all over my office to remind me. I email them to friends, share them on Facebook and pin them on Pinterest hoping the notion that change is a beautiful thing will somehow seep into my pores. It looks so good on paper! The truth is, I don’t like change. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unfamiliar, and many times, it’s just plain sad. It IS hard to see the open doors when you are focused on the closed ones, but when the closed one is all you’ve ever known and you can’t see the open door, how do you make yourself pull away and walk towards uncertainty?
I admit…I am good at sabotaging door closings. I put stops in the door so they won’t close. I flip the latch so they won’t shut all the way. I stick my foot in the door and hold it open with one hand, all the while trying to live my life and wondering why new opportunities are not coming my way. But even for the hard core resistors like myself, it’s obvious change is inevitable. NOTHING in my life has been able to escape change. Not my jobs, not my relationships with people, not my children or husband, and especially not me. Although I still struggle with embracing change in the moment, I can skim through the chapters of my life and everywhere I look, I see those open doors created by closing others. Although it’s frightening, it can also be liberating. And although I didn’t see it or appreciate it at the time, I know that in most instances, things worked out the way they should have.
I am resisting a lot of change in my life right now. I am putting so much effort into juggling to keep doors from closing; I’m missing out on the exciting and wonderful opportunities offered by the open doors. We don’t have to like change but we must accept it. The definition of embrace says “to clasp or hold close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection”. Maybe if I treat change with more warmth and less fear, I will be able to embrace it in the moment. Writing this article is my first step. What’s your first step? Are there doors you need to close? Change you need to embrace? Comment here and share your experience with me!
So much has been written about the good that comes from embracing change. How important it is to close doors so others will open. In fact, I have quotes taped all over my office to remind me. I email them to friends, share them on Facebook and pin them on Pinterest hoping the notion that change is a beautiful thing will somehow seep into my pores. It looks so good on paper! The truth is, I don’t like change. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unfamiliar, and many times, it’s just plain sad. It IS hard to see the open doors when you are focused on the closed ones, but when the closed one is all you’ve ever known and you can’t see the open door, how do you make yourself pull away and walk towards uncertainty?
I admit…I am good at sabotaging door closings. I put stops in the door so they won’t close. I flip the latch so they won’t shut all the way. I stick my foot in the door and hold it open with one hand, all the while trying to live my life and wondering why new opportunities are not coming my way. But even for the hard core resistors like myself, it’s obvious change is inevitable. NOTHING in my life has been able to escape change. Not my jobs, not my relationships with people, not my children or husband, and especially not me. Although I still struggle with embracing change in the moment, I can skim through the chapters of my life and everywhere I look, I see those open doors created by closing others. Although it’s frightening, it can also be liberating. And although I didn’t see it or appreciate it at the time, I know that in most instances, things worked out the way they should have.
I am resisting a lot of change in my life right now. I am putting so much effort into juggling to keep doors from closing; I’m missing out on the exciting and wonderful opportunities offered by the open doors. We don’t have to like change but we must accept it. The definition of embrace says “to clasp or hold close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection”. Maybe if I treat change with more warmth and less fear, I will be able to embrace it in the moment. Writing this article is my first step. What’s your first step? Are there doors you need to close? Change you need to embrace? Comment here and share your experience with me!
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