The Gift of Change

As humans, we tend to be quite resistant to change. We view change as a source of stress. It seems the greater the change, the higher the stress. If we could view change as not a threat but rather an opportunity for growth, then the stress of change would be greatly reduced.An old Chinese proverb reminds us that change does not have to be a crisis, but a chance for learning and personal growth. Everything changes around us. We cannot hold on to anything. With that in mind, it may be easier to recognize the things that come and go. Our emotions change, behaviors change, actions change, our world changes constantly. Therefore, stress of change is what’s really going on. Many of us have arrived in places we never thought we would be. We got off our path, and we are searching for ways to get back on. Much of America and its people are lost. We have fallen into a dichotomy between where we thought we would be and where we are. What if we could turn back the clock and plan our lives differently? What if when we came to that fork in the road we had taken a different route? A different major, a different career path, a different job, a different spouse, a different road all together? We will never know. What we do know now is that as incredulous as it may seem, all of our decisions, actions, and goals were a part of the plan (our life’s plan). We were supposed to take the forks in the road that we did to learn important lessons along our life’s journey. With change more prevalent we are asking ourselves what our future is going to be. Many of us are finding ourselves in disturbing situations we did not expect. We thought our careers, jobs, homes, marriages and retirement were secure. Many of us are finding they are not. We now question if there is a way to finding renewed hope and happiness in life. According to a 2011 Gallup Poll, satisfaction with the economy, government, and morality is much lower than it was in 2008.As a society we are aware of the many challenges we now encounter. All we have to do is turn on the news and learn about the many issues we face: a failing economy, the housing crisis, the high cost of health care.

As Americans, we are feeling a real physical, mental, emotional and spiritual breakdown. As a result, there is such little peace and serenity left in our culture. According to a 2007 American Psychological Association Study, three-quarters of Americans experience symptoms related to stress in a given month: 77% experience physical symptoms, and 73% experience psychological symptoms. The study also reports that about half of Americans (48%) report lying awake at night due to stress.
Change begins with opening up your heart and trusting yourself to get beyond fear and uncertainty, allowing you to live fully and receive unlimited inspiration along your life’s path. In this book, we will address how to manage the stresses, large and small, that change now and in the future will call for. So as I begin my writing journey, it is my wish for you to learn to embrace your stress and nourish your heart and spirit to rediscover the joy that has always been there to claim. In this book, I will guide you to the deeper level of awareness that is available to all. I hope it will be your choice to embrace the many changes all of us will face in this lifetime to manage the stress that accompanies it. Perhaps a starting point would be to accept the premise that our soul is on a sacred journey and change is the soul’s way of moving us along our path toward enlightenment. Knowing that, we realize that change is for our greater good. We become inspired and our zest for life reaches a new and more evolved level.