Embracing Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes are coming! Sometimes,
suddenly, as they did for me and sometimes slowly and with a bit of warning. The universe is in constant change and we are as well. Like it or not learning to embrace lifestyle changes is a necessary and sometimes difficult life lesson. Here are some steps that you can take to help you embrace these coming changes.
- Make A List
Make a list of the coming changes that you anticipate or that have been thrust upon you. What do you see as different? Write all of your thoughts down. Do not judge any of your ideas. If an idea comes into your mind, write it down, because your marvelous mind wants that idea to be included. You might want to gather some friends and confidants together and make the “list making” into a party. Have fun with this list. Remember not to judge any of the ideas. Write everything down. There will be changes in the future. Some changes you might not anticipate at this time. That is okay. Do not put pressure on yourself. Write down what comes to mind or what friends suggest.
- 3 Different Ways
Take your list and for each change that you listed, imagine 3 ways that could be different from how it used to be. You might see yourself doing something differently or not as the case may be. Allow your imagination to soar. You will not have to actually do these things so have no fear. You may do some of these things; however, there is no pressure to do anything. The only question to answer is to imagine 3 ways that you could make the change on your own terms and in your own way. A close friend might be able to help with creating the 3 changes; however, only you know what you want and this is about you! Write down the 3 changes. Keep working through the entire list. There is no need to linger over them and no need to go back and “correct” what you have already written down. This is not a test!
- A New Map
Your daily, weekly, monthly schedule will change. This does make sense. If your activities change then the time you use will change. This is a good thing. There will be activities that you no longer do and so that will open up time to accept different activities into your schedule. A schedule is like a map of certain aspects of your life. When you move from one city to another you’ll need a new map. Changing your lifestyle means you’ll need a new map.
- Create An Idyllic Schedule
Get the lists of changes and alternatives that you created earlier. You will also need a calendar. Your new map will be your new schedule. Some things on your schedule are required. Place those things down first. These are the things you must do(doctors appointments, meetings, etc.) These are things that occur at a specific time and must be done. Look at all that open space! Next add the things that you do regularly like grocery shopping, laundry and such. Pick days and times that YOU want to do these things. You might just indicate that you want to do an activity in the morning or afternoon on a specific day. This is NOT a test! You are creating an idyllic schedule for yourself. Idyllic is not perfect, it is the best we can imagine. Now you get to move on to using those lists that you created earlier. Take each change and look carefully at your 3 possible differences. Which of them creates the most emotion in you? Is one of them clearly the most idyllic to you? Try not to choose the most “practical” one. Idyllic and practical are not always the same thing. If none of them are idyllic to you, pass on to the next change on your list. When you get an idyllic one, place it on your calendar. You are building that idyllic map towards an idyllic lifestyle. This map is not the whole lifestyle, just a portion of it. Keep going until you have looked at everything on your list. Have fun. Be creative. Open space on your map is great. Those open spaces are for you to explore when you get there and find new adventures.
- Embrace the Changes
You now have a map for an idyllic lifestyle. Like any other map, you can only get to where you want to go by following it. Remember that each day that you follow your map you get closer to your new idyllic lifestyle. Relax, enjoy the journey and find those new adventures that are waiting for you.