Change

Change. It’s inevitable. It’s constant. And yet we can all struggle to accept and adapt to change. Why is that? And how do we do it better?

In this month’s blog, I’ll explore this with you. So tune in.

Hi I’m Josie Thomson. I’m a mindset, resilience and change leadership expert. I’m an international speaker, a multi-award winning coach, I’m an author and 2 time cancer survivor.

If that doesn’t qualify me to talk with authority on this topic of change, I don’t know what does.

Change. Essentially…

Everything May Change Tomorrow

A close friend, as healthy as you’d imagine, suffered a heart-attack last Friday morning. She went to bed the night before, and didn’t wake up the next day. She’s survived by her husband and two children.

One of my clients in his 40’s was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I played tennis with him just a few months before. His diagnosis surprised everyone – including him.

I received a call recently on an otherwise normal Monday morning that a friend had lost his teenage son in an motor vehicle accident the night before. It was awful news for anyone to receive.

Then there’s another client of mine, who showed up to work this last Summer, only to find his workplace being searched by authorities as they were being investigated for fraud. By the end of the week, he was without a job.

Life changes swiftly. This season of life we are in can end at any time. Everything could change tomorrow, without any notice.

Of course tomorrow isn’t necessarily going to be worse than today. It may change for the better.

In early February 1997, my doctor called to share important news with me. I was pregnant with my first child. My life changed forever that day.

One of my best friends received a job promotion that took her back home to New Zealand. Another good friend, simply hanging out with family and friends one night was introduced to a guy, who quickly became her boyfriend, and soon became her husband.

And my life changed dramatically for the better on a Friday morning 11 years ago when a mentor of mine unexpectedly introduced me to Dr Jeffrey M Schwartz and Art Kleiner – a conversation that reinforced my passion and eventually, the direction of my career. Check it out

It’s said that the only constant in life is change. It’s true.

Sometimes we plan out our lives – our hours, our days, our weeks, our years – and everything seems to fall into place. But at other times, we make our plans only to have them trumped by circumstances beyond our control.

Either way, the only constant is change. Life never remains the same. In fact, nothing ever remains the same. Sometimes things change for the better, sometimes they change for the worse – but always for something different than today.

I find myself reflecting on that fact today as I stand alone at my home office. My life is good, and peaceful in this moment. My family is happy, and we are all healthy. I have friends I can rely on, extended family I enjoy being with, and my financial needs are met doing work I absolutely love.

It’s easy I suppose, to think life will stay this way forever. But that’s just simply not the case. Everything could change as early as tomorrow, even in the next hour.

This may cause some people to panic or worry. But worrying about the future isn’t the best way to handle things. We need to keep things in perspective. I mean: the change that’s coming could be positive change. Besides, worrying about the future isn’t going to change the future – it’s just going to rob you of the okay-ness of this very moment in time right now. Change is going to happen whether you worry about it or not. I like to say that worrying is like a rocking chair… it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere!

Instead, I think a better response is to fully appreciate this very moment, because it could change at any time.

If life is good, count your blessings. Be thankful, and enjoy the moments – all of them. You can do this more fully by being totally present and mindful of how good life really is right now, in this very moment. Slow down. Take a deep breath, and savour this season of your life as best as you can.

If on the other hand, your life is not in a good place right now, take heart… because change is coming. It’s inevitable. Nothing stays the same, and nothing is permanent. As the seasons change, so does life, and so do you.

Value love. Value strength. Value grace. Find the peace inside you to accept the things you cannot change and courage to change the things you can. But through it all, remember: this is only a season. Things will change, they always do. And so will you.

If you can only live one moment at a time, you might as well make it the present. After all, we have no idea how long ‘today’ will last… everything could change sooner than you expect.

If you need new ways of relating to the moments, the seasons or circumstances of your life, you might like to check out my new book: The Wise Advocate – the inner voice of strategic leadership. It’s about accessing a quiet, still, inner voice that knows what’s good for you and wants what’s best for you too. It’s only when we quieten down our mind and create a space to ‘hear’ that inner voice of the Wise Advocate, that you can reap the reward, peace and benefit of aligning with that still inner voice. My co-authors and I are also available for keynotes and workshops, and will soon have licensed trainings for coaches, practitioners and organisations available Express your interest below.

I also have a range of personal empowerment workshops and FREE webinars I facilitate on a regular basis to help put you in the driver’s seat of change in your life. You can check them out over at josiethomson.com

Until next time, remember this: you may not be able to control what’s happening around you or to you, but you have absolute command over how you respond.

Be kind and be patient and take good care of you. Because you’re worth it!

Shine on!