Everyone has to make changes at some time in ?their lives. It’s a fact that change is a natural part of every human’s life. Those who do not adapt will die. It’s a simple law of nature.

Since you already know you have to undergo change in your life, why don’t you start thinking about it differently to make it easier on yourself?

1.) Negative Self Talk. Human beings do this because our brains are hard wired to think negative thoughts, especially when we are afraid of something. Our primitive mind takes over and we go into fight or flight mode. Sit quietly and breathe and tell your “lizard brain” that you are just fine and this change is going to lead to something positive in your life. Instead of thinking and saying, “This change is going to be so difficult.”, think and say (out loud) stuff like, “This change is going to create new opportunities in my life.” Or, “This diet is going to serve me well because I’m getting healthier and feel better.” You get the idea. Thoughts become things, so make yours good ones.

2.) The point of Freak Out. After you make a change in your life, it becomes uncomfortable at some point. This is what I call “the point of freak out”. It’s the point at which you keep moving forward or revert back to “what was”. Perhaps the excitement has worn off, you don’t immediately see the results you were looking for when you started, or you miss something about the way “things used to be”. The thing that will help you survive this bump in the road is to remember your feelings of missing something familiar or not feeling totally comfortable with “what is” right now are totally normal!

3.) Give yourself a way out. You can also make the decision here to stick with the change for a set time period and reassess your feelings. Decide what your alternative will be if you make a change and aren’t happy with the outcome. Very few changes in life are permanent. If you move somewhere new and you don’t like it, move back after a year. If you try a new career path and it isn’t for you, you can always change jobs. Or you can start off volunteering or doing side work in the career path you think you’d like to move to and see how that feels for you. If the change is a permanent one like deciding to have a child, adopt a puppy and see how that works out first or ask if you could help a friend or family member with their parental duties to see how it feels to handle the routine of a parent. Just knowing you have a way out or “plan B” is comforting.

4.) Drop the zeros and be your own hero. You don’t need any negative influences in your life while you’re trying to make positive changes or going through inevitable changes that you can deal with in a positive way. So, stop listening to the “Debbie Downers” in your life and talk to people who are willing to support you in what you’re going through. Talk to people who have been where you are and came out successful on the other side.

5.) Inspect what you expect. Remember that big change does not happen overnight. Be willing to accept that you may need to take small steps toward a larger goal. You will get there eventually! If you feel like things are not happening fast enough for you, reassess your position and goals. You may need to change your expectations to slow things down or make time and space in your life to move things forward faster.

6.) Celebrate your wins! This is the most important part of change. Celebrate all of your small steps / wins that come along with your change. Every step no matter how large or small is a step closer to getting you where you want or need to be.

I hope this short map helps you navigate the path on your journey of change we call life! If you want a great tool to help you chart your course through this journey, Sign up or my free writing course here (on the right side of the screen) http://themuseskiss.com/.