If You’re Afraid of Making a Massive Life Change

“The one option to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, transfer with it, and be part of the dance.” ~Alan Watts

I used to assume that stability was the important thing to happiness. Keep in a single place, construct a profession, nurture long-term relationships—these have been the pillars of a profitable life, or so I believed.

My life was a rigorously constructed fortress of routine and familiarity. Get up at 6 a.m., commute to the identical workplace I’d labored at for a decade, come residence to the identical condominium I’d lived in since faculty, rinse and repeat. It was secure. It was predictable. It was slowly suffocating me.

As I approached my fortieth birthday, I discovered myself more and more stressed. The partitions of my comfy life felt extra like a jail than a sanctuary. I’d scroll by means of social media, seeing mates and acquaintances embarking on new adventures, altering careers, and transferring to new cities, and I’d really feel a pang of envy blended with worry.

“I want I may do this,” I’d assume, shortly adopted by, “However what if all of it goes incorrect?”

It was throughout one among these late-night scrolling classes that I got here throughout a quote from Alan Watts that might change all the things: “The one option to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, transfer with it, and be part of the dance.”

I stared at these phrases, feeling as in the event that they have been talking on to my soul. What if, as an alternative of fearing change, I embraced it?

The following morning, I awoke with a way of goal I hadn’t felt in years. I made a decision to make a change—not a small one, however a seismic shift that might problem all the things I believed I knew about myself and my life. I used to be going to give up my job, promote most of my possessions, and journey the world for a 12 months.

The second I made this choice, I felt a mixture of exhilaration and sheer terror. What about my profession? My condominium? My relationships? The questions swirled in my thoughts, threatening to overwhelm me. However beneath the worry, there was a spark of pleasure that I couldn’t ignore.

I gave myself six months to arrange. These months have been a whirlwind of planning, saving, and going through the reactions of family and friends. Some have been supportive; others thought I used to be having a midlife disaster.

My mother and father have been significantly nervous. “However what about your future?” they requested, echoing the identical issues they’d had after I switched majors in faculty.

Because the departure date drew nearer, my nervousness grew. There have been moments after I critically thought of calling the entire thing off. What if I used to be making a horrible mistake? What if I couldn’t deal with the uncertainty?

It was throughout one among these moments of doubt that I spotted one thing vital: The worry I used to be feeling wasn’t nearly this journey. It was the identical worry that had stored me trapped in a life that not fulfilled me. If I gave in to it now, I would by no means break away.

So, I pushed ahead. I boarded that aircraft with a backpack, a one-way ticket, and a coronary heart filled with each terror and hope. The primary few weeks have been difficult. I felt misplaced, not simply geographically however existentially. Who was I with out my job title, my routine, my acquainted environment?

However slowly, one thing magical started to occur. As I navigated new cities, tried new meals, and met folks from all walks of life, I felt layers of my outdated self peeling away. I found a resilience I by no means knew I had. Issues that might have despatched me right into a tailspin again residence grew to become adventures and challenges to unravel. I discovered to belief my instincts, to search out pleasure within the surprising, and to embrace the unknown.

One significantly transformative second got here three months into my journey. I used to be mountain climbing within the mountains of Peru, combating altitude illness and questioning my choice to aim this trek.

As I sat on a rock, catching my breath and preventing again tears, an aged native lady handed by. She smiled at me and stated one thing in Quechua that I didn’t perceive. However her smile and the mild pat she gave my shoulder spoke volumes.

In that second, I spotted that kindness and human connection transcend language and tradition. I additionally realized that I used to be stronger than I ever gave myself credit score for.

Because the months handed, I discovered myself altering in methods I by no means anticipated. I grew to become extra open, extra curious, extra prepared to strive new issues. I discovered to reside with much less and admire extra. The fixed motion and alter grew to become not simply tolerable however exhilarating. I used to be, as Alan Watts had stated, becoming a member of the dance of change.

Nevertheless it wasn’t all easy crusing. There have been days of loneliness, moments of doubt, and occasions after I missed the consolation of my outdated life. I discovered that embracing change doesn’t imply you by no means really feel worry or uncertainty. It means you’re feeling these issues and transfer ahead anyway.

As my 12 months of journey neared its finish, I confronted a brand new problem: what subsequent? The considered returning to my outdated life felt unimaginable. I used to be not the one that had left a 12 months in the past. However the concept of continuous to journey indefinitely didn’t really feel proper both. I spotted I used to be craving a brand new form of stability—one constructed on the muse of flexibility and development I’d cultivated throughout my travels.

I made a decision to maneuver to a brand new metropolis, one I’d fallen in love with throughout my travels. I discovered a job that allowed me to make use of my outdated abilities in new methods, with the pliability to proceed exploring the world. I made new mates who shared my love of journey and private development. I created a life that embraced change moderately than feared it.

Wanting again on this journey, I’m amazed at how far I’ve come. The one that was as soon as paralyzed by the thought of change now seeks it out as a supply of development and pleasure. Listed below are a few of the most vital classes I’ve discovered.

1. Concern isn’t a cease signal.

Concern is a pure a part of change, however it doesn’t have to manage you. Acknowledge it, perceive it, however don’t let it make your selections for you.

2. Discomfort is the place development occur.

The moments that challenged me probably the most have been additionally those that taught me probably the most about myself and the world.

3. Flexibility is power.

With the ability to adapt to new conditions is way extra useful than attempting to manage all the things round you as a result of usually, the one factor you’ll be able to management is how properly you adapt.

4. Much less is usually extra.

Dwelling out of a backpack for a 12 months taught me how little I truly should be comfortable.

5. Change is fixed.

As an alternative of resisting change, studying to circulate with it brings a way of peace and pleasure to life.

6. It’s by no means too late.

At forty, I believed I used to be too outdated to transform my life. I used to be incorrect. It’s by no means too late to begin a brand new chapter.

If you end up feeling caught, craving for one thing extra however afraid to make a change, I encourage you to take that first step.

It doesn’t need to be as dramatic as promoting all the things and touring the world (although I extremely suggest it in case you can!). Begin small. Take a special path to work. Strive a brand new pastime. Have a dialog with somebody you wouldn’t usually speak to. Every small change builds your resilience and opens you as much as new prospects.

Embracing change doesn’t imply your life will at all times be simple or that you simply’ll by no means face challenges. Nevertheless it does imply that you simply’ll be residing totally, rising always, and experiencing the wealthy tapestry of what life has to supply.

Your life isn’t a set path however a journey of fixed evolution. Embrace the modifications, study from the challenges, and have fun the expansion. The world is huge, life is brief, and the best adventures usually start with a single step into the unknown. So take that step. Be part of the dance of change. You is likely to be amazed at the place it leads you.

About Anna

Anna is a author, speaker, and neighborhood chief who helps girls going by means of perimenopause. She needs to alter how folks take into consideration this vital time in life. She believes in utilizing data, sharing experiences, and including humor to make robust occasions simpler. Anna invitations girls to see perimenopause as a pure and empowering a part of life. Be part of her to snort, study, and develop collectively as she works in the direction of a world the place perimenopause is talked about overtly and positively.

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