“The one method to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, transfer with it, and be a 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 fastidiously 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 house to the identical condo 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 pals and acquaintances embarking on new adventures, altering careers, and transferring to new cities, and I’d really feel a pang of envy combined with concern.
“I want I might do this,” I’d assume, rapidly adopted by, “However what if all of it goes unsuitable?”
It was throughout one in every of these late-night scrolling periods that I got here throughout a quote from Alan Watts that may change all the pieces: “The one method to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, transfer with it, and be a 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 a substitute of fearing change, I embraced it?
The following morning, I awakened with a way of function I hadn’t felt in years. I made a decision to make a change—not a small one, however a seismic shift that may problem all the pieces I assumed I knew about myself and my life. I used to be going to stop my job, promote most of my possessions, and journey the world for a 12 months.
The second I made this determination, I felt a mixture of exhilaration and sheer terror. What about my profession? My condo? My relationships? The questions swirled in my thoughts, threatening to overwhelm me. However beneath the concern, 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 dealing with 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 notably 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 anxiousness grew. There have been moments after I significantly thought-about 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 in every of these moments of doubt that I spotted one thing necessary: The concern I used to be feeling wasn’t nearly this journey. It was the identical concern that had saved 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 stuffed 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 previous self peeling away. I found a resilience I by no means knew I had. Issues that may have despatched me right into a tailspin again house turned adventures and challenges to resolve. I discovered to belief my instincts, to seek out pleasure within the surprising, and to embrace the unknown.
One notably transformative second got here three months into my journey. I used to be climbing within the mountains of Peru, combating altitude illness and questioning my determination to aim this trek.
As I sat on a rock, catching my breath and combating 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 light 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 turned extra open, extra curious, extra keen to attempt new issues. I discovered to reside with much less and admire extra. The fixed motion and alter turned not simply tolerable however exhilarating. I used to be, as Alan Watts had stated, becoming a member of the dance of change.
But it surely wasn’t all clean crusing. There have been days of loneliness, moments of doubt, and occasions after I missed the consolation of my previous life. I discovered that embracing change doesn’t imply you by no means really feel concern 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 previous life felt unattainable. 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 sort of stability—one constructed on the muse of flexibility and progress 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 previous expertise in new methods, with the flexibleness to proceed exploring the world. I made new pals who shared my love of journey and private progress. I created a life that embraced change reasonably 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 progress and pleasure. Listed below are among the most necessary classes I’ve discovered.
1. Concern just isn’t a cease signal.
Concern is a pure a part of change, but it surely doesn’t have to regulate you. Acknowledge it, perceive it, however don’t let it make your selections for you.
2. Discomfort is the place progress 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 much extra beneficial than attempting to regulate all the pieces round you as a result of typically, the one factor you may management is how nicely you adapt.
4. Much less is usually extra.
Residing out of a backpack for a 12 months taught me how little I truly must be comfortable.
5. Change is fixed.
As an alternative of resisting change, studying to movement with it brings a way of peace and pleasure to life.
6. It’s by no means too late.
At forty, I assumed I used to be too previous to transform my life. I used to be unsuitable. 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 pieces and touring the world (although I extremely advocate it if you happen to can!). Begin small. Take a unique path to work. Strive a brand new pastime. Have a dialog with somebody you wouldn’t usually discuss to. Every small change builds your resilience and opens you as much as new potentialities.
Embracing change doesn’t imply your life will all the time be simple or that you just’ll by no means face challenges. But it surely does imply that you just’ll be dwelling absolutely, rising consistently, and experiencing the wealthy tapestry of what life has to supply.
Your life just isn’t a set path however a journey of fixed evolution. Embrace the adjustments, study from the challenges, and have fun the expansion. The world is huge, life is brief, and the best adventures typically start with a single step into the unknown. So take that step. Be part of the dance of change. You could 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 vary how folks take into consideration this necessary time in life. She believes in utilizing information, sharing experiences, and including humor to make powerful occasions simpler. Anna invitations girls to see perimenopause as a pure and empowering a part of life. Be part of her to chortle, study, and develop collectively as she works in direction of a world the place perimenopause is talked about overtly and positively.
