Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations.
-Catherine Pulsifer
Change takes time. The back to school season for my kids has always been a great reminder of this. I recently challenged myself to take the time to step back and breathe. I needed to allow myself the space to grow and get adjusted to this new season of life. Life still looks so different all across the world being that we’ve encountered a pandemic and life still doesn’t look normal. This new normal has really changed the way we do life. As a result of that I think it’s so important that we allow ourselves the space to grow, adapt and find our rhythm. Change can often times get us off balance if we don’t give ourself the grace to grow through it. Like John Maxwell states, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”
Have you ever stepped into a season of life where everything feels so new and so much has changed? It can feel overwhelming because you try to step into a new season with a lot of the old mindsets and habits. But, new seasons often requires you to move differently. That is something that I have been recently learning. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with so much change. I had to remind myself that stepping into a new season requires me to give myself space to learn, grow and make mistakes. I am so accustomed to things going a certain way and doing a lot of the same things everyday at the same time but with all that has changed I had to let go of the expectation of life that I had in the past and give myself space to embrace this new season.
When I hold on to my past expectations and habits and try to make them fit into this new season, I find myself getting frustrated with life. But, as I took a step back to reflect I realized I needed to embrace this new change and allow myself room to grow and adapt. Once that happens it’s easier to find a rhythm that works for this new season. This experience made me think of how when I was a kid I had this Tommy Hilfigure shirt that I loved so much. The shirt was a perfect fit when I got it and it looked so good on me. Over time as I got older I still had a love for the shirt but the shirt no longer fit like it did in the past. It was marked with the faded look. Although I loved the shirt and had gotten use to wearing it, it was no longer a fit for the season of life I was in. I had to choose to either continue to try to put on the same shirt and make it work or take time to find a new shirt that I loved that was perfect the season of life I was in.
Life is a lot life that. Seasons change and every new season brings with it the opportunity for new growth. If you continue to try to go through life with the same old habits and mindset and if you never embrace the change that the season requires you will never be able to reach the place that God has designed for you. So when change happens my encouragement to you is to embrace it. Change is not always easy to embrace but you never know the great things it can bring. Through my experience these are some things I have learned about allowing yourself room to grow, adapt and find your rhythm:
1.) Be Open
Be open and willing to try new things. Don’t allow the way things has always been to keep you from experiencing greatness of what things can be if your branch out and try something different.
2.) Be Optimistic
You never know what could happen if you never try. Be optimistic believe that time will work out and be better.
3.) Be Intentional
Plan out your priorities and make time to do the things that are most important to you. Figure out how to put the most important things first in this new season.
I hope this encourages you to give yourself space to grow. It so easy to be hard on yourself when things don’t go the way you expect. Allow yourself grace to be fully present in the season that you are in. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and not be okay at times. Change is not always easy but as you embrace it and give yourself time to adjust and grow through it, things will begin to fall into place. So make it your mission to grow, adapt and find your rhythm in this season and watch how your life begins to flourish. Thank you so much for reading.
What’s one thing that helps you to embrace change? How are you adjusting to this new season of life? Comment below I would love to hear your story.
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Intentional Hope 