Entry #2: Making Transitions

I said I wanted to give some kind of insight or direction to whoever might find value in it. So I thought we'd start of with the hard part...Starting.

Whether it's personal adjustment or some major life altering path, making any kind of shift can be hard. Changing habits and patterns is one if the hardest things for most people to do. Our brains are hard wired to conserve energy and do what is comfortable and familiar. So even when we want to make a change, we are met with resistance. And that's not counting anyone or anything else that gets in our way.

One of the first things I think everyone should know and hold on to is the idea that we can only control ourselves. No one and nothing else is in our hands. We can have an influence or make some kind of impact. But ultimately the final outcome lies in someone else' choices, or the world moving along as it does. Thankfully this is a double edged sword. Because this also means everything you do, every choice you make is absolutely in your control. 

While the choices aren't always easy and the path can be absolutely brutal sometimes, the fact that you get the final word should bring some manner of peace, or at least ease. No one can force you to do, be, or give up anything you don't want to. Even in those moments where the world has put force into stopping you, you can simply yield for a necessary moment. Find your grounding, pick your path, and keep moving. It's your life. It's your career. It's your passion.

That being said, any transition, any kind of change is so much easier with support. Find someone who's got your back. Someone that can help remind you of what you wanted and why you started this when things inevitably get rough. Needing help isn't shameful. It's not weak. It doesn't make you worthless or invalidate what you are doing. At our core, we work better together than any individual ever could. Even the people that seem to be moving entirely on their own power have people behind them that made what they have possible.

It's also important to remember that sometimes change is not just a good idea. It's absolutely necessary. Most of the time, those are going to be the hardest changes to make. You inevitably run into the most resistance. The time, energy, and pain it takes is incomparable to much of what you've dealt with before. 

Break it down. Take things one step at a time. Figure who your people are. Have a plan before you move. These are the moments we look back on with the most scrutiny. Wondering if we made the right choice, wishing we tried just a little harder, or thinking maybe we could have let that go a long time ago. It's all in our hands, but there is no going back. You can try fixing things going forward, but the damage behind you will always be there.

What's behind us will always define us. But we get to choose what shape that definition takes. There are hundreds of definition to the word run. Same word, so many ways to use it. Life is the same. The path we walked to get here, doesn't determine who we are. That's still up to us.

Thanks for letting me rant and wander a bit. I hope some part of any of this helps someone.