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Change: Will You Resist With Terror or Embrace With Wonder?

Written by: Margie Warrell

Article Overview: Life is one long experience of change. Sometimes it's change we welcome. Sometimes it's change we step into apprehensively; and at other times, it's change we fight tooth and nail. The reality is that experiencing change in your life is a certainty. Whether your experience of change is one of terror or wonder is a choice.

Change: Will You Resist With Terror or Embrace With Wonder?

I know that you have experienced a lot of change in your life - some that you've enjoyed and some that you haven't. You've likely endured some disappointments, changed jobs, or at least experienced change on the job, enjoyed many fun occasions, grieved some losses, and through it all, had to grow and adapt and learn and become stronger, wiser and more resilient.

If you think about it, life is one long continual process of change. Sometimes it's change we welcome. Sometimes it's change we step into apprehensively. And at other times, it's change we resist tooth and nail. The reality is that experiencing change in your life is a certainty. Whether your experience of change is one of terror or wonder is a choice. Resisting change is generally a pretty futile activity since the only thing that you can ever predict in life is that nothing will ever stay the same forever. Given that reality, the only logical way to approach change is with courage and trust in ourselves that whatever challenges change brings, we have all we need within us to meet them.

As I look back on all the changes that make up my life story, I realize it's been one truly amazing journey of ongoing adjustments, ongoing challenge, ongoing adventure, ongoing growth and, of course, ongoing change. Some of the change I embraced arms open wide, some I've tripped my way through nervously and some I've struggled through very ungraciously.

I recall the period during which I moved from Australia to the United States in the wake of 9/11 when I was in change overload: three children under three (including an 8 week old!), no friends, living from suitcases with no fixed address for 4 months while all our belongings made their way by ship and a largely absent travelling husband. The intense feelings of being overwhelmed, isolation and resentment that dominated my emotional landscape at the time are still so vivid my stomach still tightens as my memory goes back. It was only when I was able to move from a mood of resentment to acceptance and then from acceptance to ambition for the opportunities America offered me that all those changes became a gift rather than a burden.

When it comes to change, just like any adversity, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. As it does, it teaches you so many lessons about yourself, about what life has to offer, about joy and suffering, regret and responsibility, loss and love. And now that I stop to think about it, it has also taught me to treasure each and every experience I have along the way, the highlights and lowlights alike. You see, even the tough times pass, even the disappointments fade, even the weight of sorrow, and the deep sadness it gives rise to, gradually loosens its clenched grip on our heart.

Your life is so busy. As you juggle responsibilities, manage multiple (often conflicting) commitments and try to work through the changes that are being forced upon you as life forces them on us all, I invite you to pause from all your doing and just celebrate where all the changes in your life have brought you to, and who you have become as a result of them. Needless to say, you would not be where you are today had you not had to deal with the changes and risen to the challenges you have. Just as your journey to this moment has been unpredictable and unique, so it will be beyond here. Don't let another day, week or year slip by without opening your arms wide to it, savoring it and celebrating it.

Embrace the opportunities that life's changes offer up to you and step forward into them with wonder and gratitude for all there is for you to learn from them and become through them. Whatever your changes may lay in store for you on the road ahead, you have all the resources you need to embrace them with wonder and navigate them with courage.

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Article Tags: 4 months, amazing journey, australia, belongings, courage, disappointments, emotional landscape, intense feelings, isolation, job, jobs, losses, memory, occasions, resentment, resisting change, stomach, suitcases, terror, united states



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Re: Spellcheck? - [quote="TheAnonymousMan":2f894q6j]When discussing the majority of people I would definitely say that most people hit the "Change" or "Ignore" button without thinking too much about the correct spelling of a word. All bosses are concerned about is getting the report to the Directors meeting on time.[/quote:2f894q6j] That probably depends on what the "majority" are trying to accomplish. I have word set to alert me about misspellings and grammatical problems, so I fix most as I go. But I also add names etc to the dictionary because I get tired of seeing the red and green squiggles when I know the info is right. If you're only going to click "Change" or "Ignore" then why bother to take the time to use spell check????? Business people that I work for want the info compiled in a timely manner and they want it right - which is fine because that's the way I strive to do any project. Sending out a memo, letter, report etc with obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes makes the person and the company look bad as far as I'm concerned. Shri
Re: e-Commerce and e-Payment providers - Hi GT It is only fairly recently that people in South Africa have been able to get full use of Paypal as we were only able at one time to make payments but not receive them. Fortunately this has now changed. I have received money through Global X Change for one of the affiliate programs that I promote and have found them pretty good as the money is normally transferred directly into my bank account within 2-3 days and I have not had any problems with them. MichelleJ
Re: Obama Wants Social Security for Illegals - [quote="Alan Mater":3kaa8sg4] Obama WILL make changes... but they're not the changes we as a country need or should look forward to.[/quote:3kaa8sg4] Sad but this is exactly how I feel about it. Change is coming - but unless I'm really wrong, it is not a change this country needs. Amazing how much a good speaker with a good speech writer can do. If you paid attention to the things he said "off script" - much of it is frightening. Chris
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You are too young - I don't really believe (I've been into web designing for 7 years now... I started in 2000) there is any web design laws. Besides the fact that you can't use copyrighted images on web design without permission from the original author. Also, any web designs you do you may want to have it copyrighted so other's can't steal your idea's or whatever... of course, you can offer a "Copyright Change" option for a bit more money that will allow you to be able to transfer the copyrights and give exclusive rights to the purchaser. All in all, don't worry about the laws... you should be fine, just remember that if your in the U.S. that if your making over $400 (or maybe its $600) in revenue, you'll have to pay taxes to the government... and please get a LLC, although its not a big thing with web designs, you could get into legal trouble somewhere in the business. Lastly, use contracts for when your selling or use agreements to clear the air so that you can have a safe business and you'll have some backing up if you ever are taken to court.


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