First of all, change requires a new way of how we think about things. Changing our thoughts is the primary step toward effecting real change in our behavior. Instead of repressing our feelings, idle wishfully or set aside our dreams, and deem change as unachievable or self-forgetting, rather we might intend to address issues that block our ability to create a life full of love and happiness. For lasting change out of old patterns it is necessary go to the root to transform harmful ways, thinking and behaving. Transformation occurs when we place our attention around such issues.

Fear is the great self abnegator. It is some “thing” we conjure up in our minds procuring illusions from and then base it as reality. And then we build our whole lives around that false belief. Since illusion is not fact, the fearful “thing” often has little to do with what we actually fear. It is a fabrication supported by a thought chain of “what if’s” that keep us limited. Fear, wishing and wanting keeps us in self-survival. It is reactionary of something much deeper--something self-defeating to keep us small. Don’t give in to such limitation, understand the nature of fear and it drops away.

I always have wondered why people are so fearful of change when change is a natural process that occurs instantly and eternally? Ponder that the only thing in the universe that remains constant is change…change is our friend. We change from moment to moment but can’t see it. It must be fear of the known then that causes us to be so afraid—a deep seeded fear that everything could stay the same, nothing new or exciting, how boring, how mechanical and utterly depressing! Our nature is to expand and yet we climb into a box and put the lid on it. This is where our blocks come in. We might ask ourselves, “What is the worst that could happen if we change?”

Oftentimes we jump so far ahead of ourselves projecting our fear into the future that we freak our selves out and mummify our minds to the extent that we move into paralysis. That is change, but in a negative direction…it is regressive. Other times, too, when people have long held diseases or have been overweight most of their lives they don’t want to let go. They are so attached to the dis-ease that it has become a part of their identity and they don’t know who they are without it. This is a main reason why people don’t heal.
Transformation is a healing. Perhaps, if we change the context, the way we wrap our minds around something, we might find change to be an exuberant process of self discovery that it is. Think of the process of change as a creative partner. Doing this leads to all sorts of innovations along the way. When we release the need to know exactly how change will occur, we open ourselves to a world of infinite possibilities for how our goals will eventually be realized.

So, how do we apply the naturally occurring energy of change in a directed way? Well, since change requires an open mind, we need to step out of the mental kennel we have imprisoned ourselves in. The next step is to open to creativity. We need not be an artist as we all have a creative urge within that seeks to be expressed. The energy of change is our sense of adventure, so a measure of fearlessness and risk tolerance is necessary—this is our ability to just “go for it” without tripping over the “I can’ts.” Flexibility is being okay with what is at the moment in the ebb and flow of life--all things in nature arise and pass away. What may be so for us one day may not be the same for the next. When it is time to be still, be still and when it is time to be active, be active. When we hold tightly to the illusion of permanence we fail to succeed. Let go of fear and give in to flow!

The natural shifting of our moods should not sway us off our creative path. If so, we must remember why we chose to shift in the first place and refocus our attention on cultivating positive, life-affirming changes even in the face of shedding old patterns of thought and behaviors. The key to setting achievable goals is by sustaining clear intention and focused attention on making purposeful changes. Holding our intention mindfully is critical for partnering with the inevitable creative chaos of change. It is inevitable that successful change will happen. We may choose to leap or take incremental steps. Both are change and change is a process.