Change can be hard, but also refreshing. So often in life I have only made change when there has been little or no alternative. When I have got to the point where something has to give. In a way that was what happened this time, I needed to earn more, and feel stretched more, so I bit the bullet as it were and leapt into the unknown.
To give context this week I finished a job that I really enjoyed on Thursday, and started a new job that I am really excited (and nervous about!) on Friday.
Standing at the end of something is a good chance to reflect on what it has offered, what you have learned and how you have grown through the experience. For me, I have definitely grown in confidence, because I felt valued and my experience was appreciated. I began, at times, to see myself as others saw me. I really hope to carry that forward into my new role.
Just as an aside, isn’t it interesting how we place value on what others think of us? How when we are valued and appreciated by those around us, we start to feel that about ourselves. I guess there is something there about being mindful about the people we surround ourselves with as far as we can. Equally, how hard do we find it to accept positive feedback? I know I find it really tricky. We often find it really easy to take on board criticism and negatives from others, yet when it comes to hearing positives we tend to feel uncomfortable, shy away or disbelieve. In reality if we are prepared to listen and accept the negatives, surely the logic follows that we should equally accept the positives?
Why do we avoid change? Many of us do, and as I suggested we tend to make change as a last resort rather than as a proactive plan. Is it because we doubt our ability to manage something new? Is it because we feel overwhelmed in new environments, so we feel safer with the familiar? Either, or both, could be true. But change can, and so often is, good for us. It is where we grow and see what we are capable of. It is where we expand our horizons and stretch beyond what we have known.
Endings can be hard, especially if they are not ones we had wanted or planned. Whatever that end looks like, when a chapter closes it can be hard to focus on what was gained and instead focus on what feels lost. It is important to take some time to consciously reflect on the gains, the skills learnt, the people we have met, the experiences had and memories made. Time taken to truly acknowledge what that part of your working life has offered you.
Right now, I am about to embark on the next chapter of my story, and I’ll be honest I am equal parts anxious and excited. It is hard to go into a new environment and meet new people, learn new systems and get up to speed on things. But is it also exciting to have a fresh challenge, new goals and aspirations, meet new people who are about to become important in your life? I think so!
So, what about you? How do you go about embracing change? Do you relish it and the freshness that it offers, do you think of it as a natural part of your life’s story that you end a chapter and start a new one? Or do you dread it and avoid it as far as possible?
Maybe it is time to take a fresh look at change, endings and beginnings, and think of them all as opportunities to stop, reflect and move forward with purpose.
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