Start Embracing Change by Following These Four Steps

Is embracing change one of your strong suits? Don’t worry if you answered “no” to that question. Many of us are not comfortable embracing change – even when that change will lead us to a more positive, healthy place in our lives. While often necessary, change is not easy.

But let’s get back to the reason why you shouldn’t worry if you are not comfortable embracing change. If it is important and necessary, why should we not be concerned if we don’t like change and do everything possible to avoid change? The reason is that you can become comfortable with change. You can learn to embrace change. And in today’s blog post, you are going to learn four strategies to become more comfortable embracing change in your life.

Why Do We Resist Change?

In a blog post addressing the need to make changes in our financial lives from becoming a spender to becoming a saver, changes which are necessary for a future of financial security, the point was made as to why we often don’t want to embrace change – even when we understand the outcome will be a positive one.

Here’s that point. “Unfortunately, most of us find comfort in familiarity – even when that familiarity brings harmful results.” In other words, you may understand you need to eat healthier, but you are much more comfortable eating fast food as changing would mean figuring out how to fix healthy meals with your busy work schedule. Or, you may understand that you need to cut up your credit cards and sit down to create a Personal Spending and Savings Plan to take back control of your money and your life. But instead, you find yourself pulling that credit card out at the first sign of stress to start binge shopping as that is so familiar and so comfortable.

Begin Embracing Change with These Four Steps

So, how do you step out of your comfort zone and begin to make embracing change more comfortable? Start with these four steps.

Sit There and Do Nothing – Okay, this certainly doesn’t sound like the productive way to begin embracing change. Instead of sitting in stillness without a purpose, use this time to practice mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness assists in ending self-sabotaging thoughts and improves your self-awareness – both of which will help you start to embrace change more comfortably.

Take Ownership of Change – Sit down and write out a list of all the positive results of changing your behaviors and all the negative ones of resisting change. Now create a list of action steps with a timeframe for taking the necessary actions which will lead you towards those positive results. These steps will help take ownership of your change and help you step out of your comfort zone and take action.

Recognize You Are Growing Stronger – Give yourself permission to celebrate the small victories on your way to major life changes. While celebrating those victories, recognize how you are growing stronger. This will give you the self-confidence to continue taking positive, proactive steps to change your life for the better and to embrace change in the future

Embracing change is an empowering experience. When you stop resisting change and taking the necessary steps to embrace change, you can start taking back control and start living a healthier, happier life.

The post Start Embracing Change by Following These Four Steps appeared first on Financial Therapy Network.

Written By Reeta Wolfsohn, CMSW

Start Embracing Change by Following These Four Steps was originally published @ Financial Therapy Network and has been syndicated with permission.