Change.
Growing up.
What does that mean to you?
To me it meant many different things.
I suppose at different stages in our lives. change & growing up means a variety of things.
Part of change. Part of growing up … Flying out of the ever-safe, comfortable and convenient “nest”. In all honesty, it’s an exciting experience but extremely daunting. I mean we all have the bigger dreams in life, especially in this day and age with every opportunity at your grasp and literally at your fingertips, it’s becoming easier to embark on the great flight. Earlier this year I was afforded the opportunity of “flighting”.
I’m enjoying this new chapter in my life, a new place, new people, a new environment and it’s taught me so much. So if you’re looking to flight the nest or even just a change in scenery, this may be a little helpful. At least I hope so.
Firstly, I strongly believe that change is inevitable. I also am a believer in the “a change is as good as a holiday” thinking. However I am of the strong inclination that in addition to all that, there is a time for change. What do I mean by that? Well I had the opportunity of relocating and “flighting” in my late teens but I just couldn’t do it. For whatever the reasons were. I just wasn’t ready to “take the plunge” (and nope not that kind of plunge lol)… People thought I was crazy. But it felt right… then a few years later (yes I’m not that old 😛 ) a different opportunity presented itself. This time round I felt a peace about the whole situation. By peace I mean I felt this calm over the whole situation, in spite of the fact within a space of 2 weeks I had to pack up my life and move, I knew within me that this was the right decision… I also strongly believe that the timing of the decision was perfect because every little detail of the move worked out. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying wait to take an opportunity because it’s safe, comfortable, convenient… most of all don’t steer clear of an opportunity because of, dare I say it, fear. We’re humans and fear of the unknown and uncertainty is innate and inevitable, but don’t let that become the defining factor in your life. Don’t let fear cripple you from perusing your dreams and become the reason you could miss out on an amazing opportunity.
What I am saying is do it because you WANT to.
Do it because you feel the timing is RIGHT.
Do it because you have FAITH that it is something God has in your life’s plan, and that He will see you through through it
Trust me, when those are the basis for your decisions it could potentially be the best decision you make.
Secondly be prepared.
Be prepared for the unexpected, be prepared to be stretched out of your comfort zone, be prepared for hard work, be prepared for a culture shock, be prepared for your horizons to broaden. Change that is lasting is change that challenges the way you think, perceive, do things and essentially the way you are. You’ll come across some stuff you never expected. Don’t only focus on the negative connotation the term “unexpected” may bring, a good range of amazing things are also unexpected. So be prepared for the unexpected – the bad and the mind blowingly amazingly unexpected. Getting out of your comfort zone can be challenging, in my case I hadn’t lived in any other place aside from the one I was born in. So off the bat that’s one MAJOR comfort zone changer. It’s challenging (I don’t believe the challenge is over) to re-adapt, to get unconditioned to an environment (whether that’s a physical environment, an emotional environment, a mentality or spiritual environment) to which you’ve become conditioned to is nothing short of impossible if you aren’t prepared for it. The minute you decide “Nah, I can’t do this” or “Nah, this is uncomfortable… it’s abnormal… and I don’t like it” then automatically you will find areas of dissatisfaction. You’ll never find a place where you fit in, just because it’s not what you’re used to and therefore will push back on opportunities and essentially miss out on the fullness of the experience. That I believe also applies to not just a big change in one’s life but also incremental changes… it’s all about attitude. Be prepared for hard work, change is hard work. The amount of hard work you put in will determine the fruits of your change… Be prepared for a culture shock. A different environment will bring a change in culture. A change in the way you do things,a change in the people you associate with and if you do not adapt to the culture you will be resistant and again you will miss out. Be prepared for your horizons to be broadened… Until I moved here my horizon was pretty blurry… it was all theory, I suppose this move has been a practical implementation of what I’ve been known. Now my eyes see the broadness of the horizon… and I’m hoping to paint a clearer picture of a broader horizon to people in my circle…
Lastly have fun. Take every opportunity of change and have fun. Live IN every moment. Learn through every situation, and if it’s a bad situation learn the situation quickly, dust off the failure and move on. Have fun with the friends the change brings. Personally in this move I’ve met amazing people, people who are so similar to me and people who couldn’t be further from similar, but each of them bring a different flavour to my adventure and for that I am grateful. I’ve even made what I believe will be life long friends, and to think if I didn’t “flight” I wouldn’t have even known these amazing people existed.
While doing all this, don’t forget the people who mean the most to you. Don’t climb the corporate ladder at the expense of your family, friends and loved ones. Remember they’ve been there. They’ve been there pre-change and chances are they’ll be there post-change. But if you don’t appreciate those individuals in your life then you could be on a nasty downward spiral…
With all that being said, I’m back 🙂 it’s been a while since I’ve blogged but hopefully I can get back on the bandwagon.
So here’s to change 🙂
Bring it!!! 🙂
livelearnmature 