by Ed and Deb Shapiro: The world around us, and who we are now, is not the same as it was just a few months, weeks, days, even a few moment ago…
People have died, clouds have passed overhead, flowers have bloomed and leaves have fallen. Already we have changed, some of our cells have died while others have been created, while our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, ideas, even our relationships are as changeable as the weather or the seasons.
There is nothing more certain and unchanging than uncertainty and change. – President John Kennedy
Change affects everything and everyone, but ego-mind or self-obsession, needs to make everything appear solid, permanent, and unchanged. We even push death away, like an unwanted object, as no one really believes they are going to come to an end.
Change can be transformative, but if we put it off then we put living on hold, fixed in old ways of being. – Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan
Just imagine if everything was permanent! Imagine how boring it would be if we were always the same: there would be no butterflies, no full moons, no roses. Change is the reality of every moment, so if we resist change we are resisting the very meaning of being here: to always become something different, other than we were before.
Without change in ourselves we become limited and stagnant. Being with what is as it is, and integrating the reality of change is wonderfully liberating, the opportunity to clear away layers of dust and cobwebs and to start anew in each moment. Just as palm trees transform muddy water into sweet coconut milk, so we can transform fear into courage, selfishness into kindness, and loss into a new beginning. We can create a new life for ourselves in every moment.
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. — Maria Robinson
Here are 10 ways to make change your best friend:
1- Accept what is! If you can change something, then do; if you can’t change anything, then release resistance and just be with what is.
2- Take risks. Life is about not having answers, taking chances and risks, and making the most of every moment, all without knowing what will happen next.
3- Be your own best friend. It is easy to blame and shame yourself, but now is the time you deserve the most love and kindness of all.
4- Every day is a new beginning. Each time you take a step forward you have no idea what might happen. But nothing will happen if you continue to stay where you are.
5- Keep falling, as long as you keep picking yourself up! Making mistakes is not the problem, but not learning from them is.
6- Think with your heart instead of your head. When you come from your heart you come to your senses!
7- Breathe, deeply and gently. Let it fill your being with refreshed energy.
8- Meditate. Take time to be quiet, to just stop, to discover why you are here, to find what is of real meaning to you.
9- Don’t take yourself too seriously. A good sense of humor prevents a hardening of your attitudes, and stops your opinions from getting too rigid!
10- Do something for someone else. Make giving to others a part of your life, especially if it is a smile and a hug.
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Ed & Deb are the authors of newly released: The Unexpected Power of Mindfulness & Meditation, and The Art of Mindful Relaxation. Deb is the author of Your Body Speaks Your Mind, now in 19 languages.
