What is change?
The concept of change is often referred to with a sense of negativity and reluctance. Rightfully so, if it’s not broken, why bother fixing it? Growth is the primary response to this question. If change does not happen, you will not experience personal or professional growth. Reflect on that for a moment. Consider a time when you experienced a moment of growth. What happened just before? Likely your response is that something...changed.
Change is inevitable.
This time of year, it is all around us. The leaves are abundant in colour and we continue to transition from one season to another. We can use the changes that occur in the natural world and that we can visibly see, to spark change in our own lives.
Mother nature provides a great example of the constant change through the four seasons. Just as you become comfortable with the warmth of the sun and long summer days, fall happens, the weather turns colder and you are asked to adjust accordingly. And just when we get comfortable with the crisp days of Autumn, snow falls. The weather continues to frost and once again, we are asked to change what we wear, how we commute, and the activities that we do. Just as we become comfortable to the coziness of a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day, Spring arrives and again, signs of growth, new beginnings and warmer days are upon us!
If you approached the seasonal change with wonder and curiosity, how would that impact your life? Autumn days provide a burst of colour to the leaves on the trees in our face with the beauty of the leaves and generally demonstrate a sense of joy and awe. Snowy days invite us to slow down and enjoy more quiet and reflective time, while the signs of Spring are an invitation to bring forth new projects and new beginnings!
Change requires disruption
In order for change to happen, you must disruptive the way things are. Whether you break things apart or turn things upside down, it takes an intentional disruption of your daily habits and patterns for any change to happen.
You can use Mother Nature as an example to demonstrate disruption. Hurricanes, snow storms, lightning, and other natural disasters are clear examples. Signs from Mother Nature can be used at any time to reflect how you may do something noticeably different that will lead to a change in how you converse, talk or take action. This constant change is your growth.
Ultimately, navigating change is about the relationship you have with yourself, and with others in your world. Just like the seasons, change will happen, and while you can’t hold onto them, you can embrace them as they come and go. When you are resilient to change, you create more stability in your life which gives you space for your creativity and your relationships to thrive.
Qualities of resilience
Below are a few of the qualities that will help you build resilience to change and foster your creativity and self-expression:
Trust
Trust is an essential quality to embody and the foundational element that will remind you to keep going when doubt creeps in. Trust also affirms your willingness to do the hard work. While trust is often difficult to define, it is easy to identify. When you put trust in yourself, you are saying yes to believing in your capabilities and how they can have an impact in the world. Trust is the quality that communities thrive on. When you trust yourself, and you trust others, your contribution to your workplace, your family, your community, and the world will be received warmly.
Patience
Change takes time and is a moving force. The pace at which it moves, especially for the creation of long term impact, is often slow and methodical. A component of this is the space in between key phases or steps that allow for reflection and observation. We live in a society where we are becoming accustomed to instant gratification. When things seem static or still, rather than getting impatient or antsy, think of the way our seasons change slowly and how that creates beauty and abundance. Use this to mirror how you approach the speed of change.
Fortitude
It takes a great amount of fortitude to become comfortable with the uncertainty and process of change, and to follow through sticking with it until the ultimate action or impact you are aiming for.
Change grounded in trust and stability can bring a great amount of inner happiness. Given that change is the only thing that is constant in our world, why not take advantage of its ability to foster your creativity?
