How To See The Positive Aspects Of Change And Subsequently Reap The Most Benefit

Change can often run parallel to the seasons. It rolls into our lives, and somehow, despite the inevitability, always takes us by surprise. This season, the end of the summer months also meant the end of a very personal chapter in my life.

So personal, in fact, that I am openly eluding to it in this article -- go figure.

I could feel the change in season happening alongside the changes in my life. I was terrified of the brisk chill I knew I would soon feel on my skin, and wondering if the summer ahead would ever bring with it the same warmth of the last two years.

I was apprehensive to step forward, fearful I might leave something behind in what was quickly turning into "the past." The autumn months always feel to me like the launch into a new year, a fresh start, which probably stems from my years spent in school.

This year, the start of the season brought with it both the feelings of loss and new beginnings, all muddled into one.

There is no right or wrong way to handle change. There is no recipe for success in dealing with the unexpected, and certainly no shame in feeling unprepared.

Change can feel both positive and negative, helpful and harmful. It can roll in like the tide, in steady waves, or fall upon us like a sun shower, pitter-pattering all around us as refreshing little beads.

There is also no way to control when and what kind of change will come upon us. The only aspect of the unexpected which puts us in the driver's seat is how we react to it. For better or worse, life will always push forward and bring with it new triumphs and challenges.

To be the constant in one's own life and maintain composure through both the sun and rain is to take hold of the reigns and decide for yourself that at the core, all change is for the better.

It may not feel that way in the moment, and you may find yourself wondering if you can handle everything that comes your way. Take a breath, look within yourself and recognize that this is not your first run at adapting to something new.

We do it every day in small, less-significant ways, perhaps, but we do. Tested daily in these often-subconscious mini trials, we are constantly training our capacity for change and for survival, really. Embracing change, like the seasons, is not always easy and, understandably, not always possible.

It's unrealistic to think that you would greet a shot to the gut with a smile every time.

Often, it’s when it’s hardest to keep our head up that the payoff is actually greatest. Try to keep in mind that sometimes the worst of it can bring out the best in you, and although it is cliché beyond cliché to say, what doesn't kill you... well, you know the rest.

Myself? I’m taking it day by day. Some days, I wake up and look around, and the weight of all the recent changes in my life makes it feel as though the walls are closing in.

Some days, however, I wake up and take a breath and realize that just maybe, all of this change has actually helped to knock down some of those walls.

It depends on the day, but like the seasons, tomorrow is an inevitability and beyond anything else, a gift. You never know what you’re going to get, but isn’t that half the fun?

Unexpected curveballs keep the game of life interesting, and it's something to keep in mind when you find yourself in a nail biter, and up at bat.

Photo Courtesy: We Heart It