Its the second week of February and by now many of you are truly taking stock and are ready to put a lot of those New Year's resolutions into action. You've thought about how you are going to do something and what it will take for you to start..... but what is generally stopping you from an exciting new adventure? Fear.
Starting anything new is scary. A new beginning can be a big thing like a move but it can also be simpler acts such as starting a new healthy habit, meeting or talking to someone new, and even trying a new food. Fear causes stress and we naturally tend to think of stress as being a bad thing. When fear starts running our lives it can prevent us from experiencing some really awesome events and feelings. New starts and resolutions tend to get stopped before they even start when fear of change kicks in.
Change is stressful, but that can be a good thing too. I know, you think I'm speaking like a crazy person.... but hear me out. Stress is defined in the dictionary as a response to a stimulus that interferes with the normal equilibrium in the body. We constantly associate stress as a negative thing but by definition if I try a new ice cream flavor and have a positive reaction (such as being super excited about this taste explosion in my mouth), that technically is a response to stimuli that is changing the normal equilibrium in my body. I generally don't walk around giddy constantly.
So as you see, some stress can be a good thing. Change can lead to so many wonderful possibilities. If you have a job you really hate and decide to find a new one thats a big change. It is also one that can lead to your general everyday contentment if you find your dream job that fulfills you. if you dont embrace the chance to change you could be missing out.
I like to think of fear as a doorway. It is preventing us from seeing all the really great possibilities that are waiting on the other side of it. If we choose to challenge our fears and open the door an entire world of imagination exists. Our wildest dreams truly can be our reality.
My husband was just offered a new opportunity that will have huge changes for our entire family but limitless possibilities as well while we move to a new state...... with only a few weeks to do it. Am I stressed? Hell yes! My house looks like a bomb went off from my son's first birthday party and he just started walking/ getting into everything. I need to pack up our essentials by myself while my husband finishes up his last two weeks of work. This is one of the riskiest things we've ever done. Stay tuned to find out how those possibilities worked out.