Change happens. Changes are inevitable. Whether you treat these changes as obstructions or as opportunities to experience new outlooks and broaden life-perspectives, is a choice.
So, you predetermine how you deal with change. Simply fighting the unexpected tends to increase anxiety and stress, and sustained resistance to change is recognised to be damaging in the longer term, often manifesting as ill-ness and dis-ease in the body-mind.
Most resistance to change stems from fear; of the unknown, a distrust of others, of feeling unsafe and insecure or from a lack of self-confidence – but the acceptance of change is a powerful tool for personal development.
Whether you like it or not, as a human being, changes are going to happen – your body will age and your mind will fade, perhaps in 50 years, or maybe …. tomorrow. An accident, personal loss, burnout or breakdown, a collapsed relationship, an unexpected diagnosis – when you are faced with harsh realities such as these, the way forward is not to fight, but to be quiet and still, to accept the unfolding reality, allowing the unexpected to become the way-shower.
These experiences (and others like them) reoccur in various guises until you get it, until you wake up, until your consciousness shifts and expands, for they are life’s invitations to realign with your deepest sense of self (or soul) – and each soul has just one purpose – to manifest in the world.
To be your soul or a universal human being, you must first face and accept your shadow side, otherwise you remain dwelling in an ego-based world of selfishness and separation.
The biggest change a human can experience in life is to ‘wake up’, to see through the superficiality of everyday consciousness.
Shifts in consciousness or spiritual awakening can happen anytime, ranging from a slow, gentle and gradual process over many years, to the radical and shocking glimpses of the deeper underlying unity of existence. For many though, such intimate and immense changes are often triggered by major life events and/or a conscious effort to heal and grow as a human being.
As we embody a universal perspective, we naturally become increasingly broad minded, more accepting of self and others, and acutely aware we are not the be all and end all the childlike ego once presumed it was. We realise a living paradox, that we are both a part and the whole, that we always were, and always will be.
Throughout your life you will be gifted windows of opportunity for your soul to be in the world. Some of these appear ‘bad’ at first glance, but the wonder of life is such that out of the suffering, comes light. We cannot fully appreciate light without first experiencing its absence or loss. So, if you are suffering, please take a minute to remind yourself you are just going through a temporary lull. As the tree sheds its leaves, or the sunlight is obscured by a dark blanket of cloud, the leaves inevitably return, and the sun reappears to warm us once again. You are never permanently stuck. Being stuck precedes growth and the arrival of new potentials and possibilities.
The most remarkable things occur when you admit to yourself you cannot continue as before. A close friend of mine was blinded in an industrial accident and lost vision in both eyes. Being married with three young children, he felt his entire world had collapsed – and that he would never find ‘normality’ again. At first, he tried to fight the situation, which only made matters worse. He literally couldn’t see his wife or kids or do many of the things which had previously given him joy and pleasure. He became increasingly angry, frustrated and sad. At times, he felt worthless and came to a point where he almost lost interest in life.
That is, until he went with the changes, rather than fighting them. Before the accident, his kids used to love hearing their dad read stories before bedtime. And although he could no longer read, one night out of the blue, he was inspired to make up a story in his head, creating an imaginative fairytale for the kids, which they lapped up. The enthusiastic feedback he received from this little act, gave him the confidence to record an entire audiobook on his phone, bringing new, unique and imaginative dreamscapes into life. Success followed. He says he could never in his wildest dreams have imagined the incredible journey he’s been on since the accident and often reflects how fortunate and grateful he is. He has journeyed from seemingly losing it all to gaining in a new and rewarding way. So, what’s the moral of this story? Well, it seems that adversity opens the door to wonder when we accept, surrender and adapt to the changes life throws our way.
Today, we know that our brains can reorganize and change by forming new neural connections, it’s known as the science of neuroplasticity. This lifelong ability to adapt allows the brain to change in response to learning, experience, and injury. It’s how new skills are acquired, old habits are changed, how people recover from brain damage, and maybe so much more.
“Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.”
Jim Rohn.
Don’t fear change, embrace it, for it brings rewards beyond comprehension.
Article by Jonathan Harrison
Author, Musician, Spiritual Teacher and so much more.
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