The Courage To Change
A terrible storm. The wind blows on the ocean and shakes the waves making them become menacing ridges of sea foam. However, we need to be strong, raise the sails and firmly grasp the rudder of our small boat to adapt to those movements. If we panic, we will surely sink …
We know it well, the changes are not just easy. Changes hurt, but they are necessary to evolve as a person and find not only happiness, but also calm and wholeness. It is curious, for example, that in Eastern culture the word “change” is represented by two ideograms which in turn illustrate two terms: “danger” and “opportunity”. Really significant.
The need for a coping strategy
Why do changes trigger fear or uncertainty? Let’s take an example. You have to change your residence to find a job or a better one. The fear of not knowing if it will be certain or if the emotional and personal price will be high is certainly what blocks you most, which prevents you from taking the decisive step to change your life.
Another example: You have been in a relationship with a person for several years and feel that you are not happy. You feel like you are not in the right place and with each passing day you feel more and more oppressed. However, you are afraid of leaving that person because at the same time you don’t know how to deal with the new life in solitude and you don’t even know how he can take it. Any change generates uncertainty and fear, we have the feeling that for a moment we may “lose control of our life”, and few things are as hard to bear as this …
Without knowing how, many find themselves living in a reality in which “what they know reassures them because they know how to behave and act”. That is to say, they are in a kind of “safe zone” and even if they are not completely happy in this bubble, what is outside seems even more threatening.
Each change involves a great deal of personal courage. It forces us to adapt to new conditions, for this we must invest our emotional and physical effort, as well as risking our well-being and our safety.
Personal courage
To be able to initiate a change that we so desire, but which we do not dare to undertake, we must first of all be realistic and aware of our situation. How do you feel in those moments? Do you feel fulfilled from a personal point of view? Do you find yourself living a reality that you really want, with the people you want? When you look in the mirror, can you tell yourself that you are happy ? It is true that they can be uncomfortable and decisive issues, but this is precisely the meaning and the need for change with regard to certain aspects of life, whether large or small.
Change is part of life and is not an insurmountable obstacle that someone purposely puts on our path. We must first of all leave aside negative thoughts and possible anticipations because, for sure, they will only add thorns in our path to change. Because fear is like a pair of scissors about to cut our wings. And we all have the right to fly …
The most important thing is to gradually expose yourself to certain situations, so that you can develop coping strategies and move on, while learning something new. Because if we don’t take the risk, we will never reach the aptitudes necessary to be brave, to get involved and to be in control of our lives.
Casting out fear means betting on happiness. And for sure you want to reach it too!
