How flexible are you in your daily life?
When you go to a restaurant do you always order the same dish or do you try new things? When someone tells you that this technique is better, do you try it out or do you make a fuss about why your way is best? Do you often get defensive when other’s give you advice?
This month has been an eye-opener for me on the subject of CHANGE. I left the UK after having lived there for 6 years to begin a new adventure, and although the decision was hard to make, I see now that it was the right choice.
I always thought of myself as someone who is very adaptable to changes, but funnily enough, the entire move from London to Spain was much easier than changing a few simple, daily habits. I bet that will resonate with quite a few of you too! Don’t you think that moving country or learning a language is so much easier than say, giving up smoking, or stopping biting your nails?
The incredible truth is, it’s the small things in life that we often find the hardest to change.
Moreover, we often dont even NOTICE them until someone points them out or something happens that causes a shift in our perspective.
Another thing that struck me is, why do we always assume that our way is better than someone else’s? Why are we so stubborn to try something new, is it hurting our pride or are we just inflexible? I started a new painting recently and made a fuss about the lack turpentine in the house. Turns out, my parents didn’t need it as their teacher taught them how to paint without it. I had no choice so I did it their way, arguing and muttering the whole time about how stupid this was and that my way is easier and faster – unwilling to see the benefits of this technique.
The next day, I asked their art teacher why she wasn’t teaching them the easier way of painting. She showed me the difference – I now realise that her way is better and I feel silly for making such a fuss without trying it for myself first.
I was so blinded by how I was taught, which I assumed was “right”, that I never even thought about trying it another way.
Are you holding onto any old beliefs that aren’t doing you any good?
This month has given me another relevant lesson – never say never! Everything in life changes, including our opinions on things or situations, no matter how much you try to think otherwise. Somehow, when you’re ready, the thing you said you will “never” do, will not seem so scary or outrageous anymore. If you are open to any possibility, the universe will have a fun way of surprising you with something that you never realised you wanted.
I will never ever EVER…
There are some things that I have always been quite stubborn about. Like I’ve always said that I will NEVER go out with a smoker or that I will NEVER wear ballerinas and leggings or that I will NEVER give up meat (read my blog about it here). Well what do you know, just to prove to me that I should stop being narrow-minded, the universe gave me a smoker, somehow got me wearing leggings and flat shoes and I am currently a raw vegan!! I also said I would never write or take photos…HAHAHAH!!! *sigh at myself* What a shock this realisation was for me, why do we put limitations on ourselves, what good is it doing us?? It’s fine not to like stuff of course, but I think being overly obsessive about it is never good…as much as I can’t stand anise, I can no longer say that I will never eat it again 🙂
How you affect other people
Sometimes the changes you make in your life may directly or indirectly affect other people’s lives too. It may trigger them to see their life in a different way, or realise what they may be missing out on. For example, has it ever happened to you when your friend starts going to the gym and you get motivated to go along with them? You don’t even need to actively force people to do something, in my last job, a few people got curious about vegetarianism and even asked me to give them lunch-time health advice, all because they saw how I lead my life (and I barely even spoke to these people!).
Sometimes you find people who are unwilling to change for the better (for whatever reason) and this can actually be physically hurting them. I know someone who is a recent vegetarian and holds their old beliefs in their stomach, and they put on weight on purpose just so they feel “comfortable”. They are subconsciously afraid of being healthy and letting go of the old ways. We can’t force them to change, no matter how much they mean to us, they have to be willing to change themselves.
How to deal with changes
If we would just LET GO and put our TRUST in life, everything would become so much simpler! Is your job sending you to Miami for 6 months? Just go – the chance is given to you for a reason! Are you developing feelings for a friend? Tell them – if nothing changes, how will you ever know what could have been?
Right, there’s just so much I can write about this subject that I am spreading out a bit 🙂 Apologies that I havent written anything in a while…been busy with all these CHANGES 😛 My life has turned upside down in every way possible and I’m loving every minute of it!! Watch out for little daily habits of yours and enjoy watching them change!
