Category Archives: Change + Motivation

Change + Motivation, Self-Development

Change Happens: Crawl, Walk, Run, Cycle, Drive!

1 Comment

Change Happens: Crawl, Walk, Run, Cycle, Drive! 

(Or for the more intellectual types: Changes in mobility from birth to adulthood)

Some time after birth, children learn to crawl, then walk, and then run! Then comes the BICYCLEChild Riding Orange Tricycle!!!!

Imagine a very young child who’s already learnt how to walk and run, receiving their first ride-on plastic bike, the type where the child’s feet reach the ground to push them along.

After a year or so, the same child gets a new push-tricycle with less than effective pedals and a rear handle for parents to control speed and direction.

With growth and change comes the next upgrade, a bigger tricycle with real pedals, and then later a mini-child-size bicycle with rear trainer wheels! The child is ecstatic with their new-found independence and freedom!

Tricycle

In a few years time  the child realises the trainer wheels are holding back his/her progress and no longer look cool! The handle streamers and the noisy-clacker-thingys on the wheel spokes are long gone. The child begs the parents to adjust their bike and remove the trainer wheels. The child desperately wants a change! Change leads to good things, like going faster around corners!

After a few spills and grazed limbs, the child learns to balance on two wheels minus the trainer wheels. Life is good!

That’s until more growth and change happens and the child needs a bigger better bike. The child begs his/her parents again for a new bike! What will the change be this time: new BMX bike, new mountain bike, new racing bike.

Father-and-Daughter

Again the child learns and adjusts to the changes that come with a new bigger bike, but after some practice, is thrilled reaching new speeds and levels of mobility.

Depending on the size and age of the child at this point – another change may be required. Improved newer model?

However with time, the child eventually grows old enough to get his/her driver’s license! Oh Boy! That’s a big change for the parents and the child who is now a fully blown teenager! And this teenager desperately wants this important change! Imagine the freedom! Imagine the possibilities if Mum and Dad would share their cars!

Bondi-Beach-Jaguar

Well true freedom only comes with that first purchase! Typically any street legal car or motorbike will satisfy at this point, because the teenager is so delighted with their change in status from  ‘totally reliant on parents and public transport’, to ‘fluently mobile’!

Later on, after working for a few years, the young adult can afford a better car or even their dream car! Well maybe not the Porsche or Lamborghini!!!!

In this scenario change meant that something new  and exciting was about to happen! Yes there was bumps and grazes along the way, but the child welcomed and embraced change, because change meant growing up! Growing up and facing change was a bonus back then!

Imagine that same child refusing to accept and embrace change. Imagine him/her aged 21-years riding a 5-year-old’s tricycle!!! Imagine that same 21-year-old riding that same tricycle along the highway or motorway! Ineffective, tricky and down right ridiculous! Much like a clown at the circus, and we laugh at that clown!

All change requires some level of discomfort and adjustment, as we learn new and different ways. When we fail to accept and embrace  change, we create extra pain and distress, adding to the initial discomfort that generally first accompanies change. When we avoid the inevitable, the inevitable comes whether or not we are prepared!

Good news! You get to choose your level of discomfort or comfort associated with change! If you fully accept change happening in your life, adjusting your attitude and remaining upbeat and optimistic, you can survive just about any changes! Every cloud does have a silver lining – but only you can find it! Any for every door that closes another one opens………

by Monica Jakovich

Become a Possible Being.

Change + Motivation, Thoughts, TRY THIS!

Change Happens: Grab a Pen and Paper!!

1 Comment

Change Happens:  GRAB  a  PEN and PAPER! This quick 2 minute activity will prove how awkward change can feel in the beginning until we practice and practice to improve competency and performance. PART 1) Try handwriting your full name with your usual writing (dominant) hand. How did this feel? Easy!! PART 2) Now change the pen over to your other hand, and write you full name again, but this time using your non-dominant hand! If you’re a righty – use your left hand. If you’re a lefty – use your right hand! Now how did this feel? PART 3) Practice using your non-dominant hand to write your name a few more times. Does your hand writing improve a little? If not keep going. Practice some more. EXPLANATION

  • Typically using your dominant writing hand feels super easy, and using your non-dominant writing hand feels super awkward!
  • However with practice you could improve the hand writing skills of your non-dominant hand.
  • This quick activity demonstrates how change affects us. At first changes in our life can feel awkward and stupid, but eventually with a time and practice, things smooth out, and the changes soon become familiar and automatic.

Extra: Notice your thoughts during this activity?

For extra value,  notice how you spoke to yourself (out aloud or in your head) as you wrote with your non-dominant hand. Especially if the hand writing was really messy and not readable. Did you call yourself stupid?  Criticise yourself? Put yourself down?

Now imagine talking to yourself negatively every time you’re faced with change! No matter what the scale, either moving house, joining a gym, or wearing in new shoes! Negative Self Talk and Negative Thoughts can strongly influence how you cope with change. The more negative your attitude towards change, the more likely you will struggle accepting change.

But maybe you were  positive, encouraging and coaching yourself during the activity? If you spoke nicely to yourself, you could naturally be more nurturing and encouraging. You probably cope better with changes in your life because of your attitude and kinder self-talk.

Change + Motivation, Life

Change Happens: Celebration or Catastrophe?

Change Happens: Celebration or Catastrophe?

In this world there are two unavoidable truths: Death and Change.

Let’s talk about CHANGE!

Change Happens!

Consider the changes occurring from childhood to adulthood. Changes occurring across the lifespan affect most people across the globe in fairly similar patterns, but with obvious cultural variations. From birth to about age 5 years old, changes or developmental milestones are exciting for parents, and critical for indicating healthy growth. For example, first steps, first words, first day at school, and more. Children experience much change simply because they’re young,  growing, and learning. To children everything is new and different. By the teenage years, both puberty and adolescence have taken over their bodies and minds, and the changes are very obvious. Just ask the parents of any teenager! For many reasons the changes occurring during teenage years are difficult – no longer a child –  but not yet an adult. Older teens or school-leavers make a big change moving towards working or further studies. The 20’s-something-age-group, with the 30’s and 40’s all generally involve increasing adult responsibilities, career development, and for some, parenthood. The 50’s and 60’s are typically decades where people enjoy, or suffer, efforts from their previous decades. Eventually leading towards retirement and unavoidable death.

Different cultures or societies often have their traditional ways to celebrate the changes that occur across the lifespan. First birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, and college graduations are just some examples.  Birthdays often equate to change, and another year older and wiser! Celebrating annual birthdays and age milestones are generally keenly awaited occasions until people reach the legal adult age in their country. Commonly children and teenagers can’t wait to ‘grow up’ and reach adulthood so they can legally ignore their parents or caregivers! Remember that transition!  Your parents do! And for the more fortunate, childhood birthdays also mean parties, gifts and special treats.

Happy Birthday Cake

However celebrating birthdays often has less appeal as people get older, especially in Western societies…When do people begin to lie about their real age? In their 30’s or 40’s?? Do you lie about your age?

So why is there less celebration of change as people grow older? Are children more resilient and open to trying new and different things? Are teenagers so brazen and clouded by hormones that they’ll try anything and everything? Are adults so stubborn and set in their ways? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? When do people begin avoiding change? Forever turning 39 years old! Staying in dead-end jobs instead of reaching for their dreams!

Yes – everybody is different, with different life circumstances, abilities, available supports, and coping skills.

Now think about the changes across your entire life:

  • Were they big or small changes?
  • Many big changes?
  • How did you cope with change?
  • Were the changes negative, neutral, or positive?
  • Did you avoid, accept, welcome, or seek change?
  • What were the overall outcomes of the changes?
  • Would you do it again the same way?

Now let’s revisit my earlier comment – change happens. Change is unavoidable no matter how much we convince ourselves otherwise. How you approach and perceive change can influence the outcomes of  the inevitable changes occurring in your life time.

Basically, if you fear change and avoid it, you may suffer greatly when change is thrust upon you uninvited. If you embrace change as part of the life cycle, you may do better, or at least move through the transition more easily.

The simple answer is learn how to love change!

Change happens, so we might as well learn to accept it and embrace it!

Spurting Fireworks

Enjoyed this post? Well its part of a series titled ‘Change Happens”. Please click on these links to read:

Change Happens: Crawl, Walk, Run, Cycle, Drive!https://wp.me/p4r1Vy-fb

Change Happens: Try this at home! https://wp.me/p4r1Vy-fl

by Monica Jakovich

Become a Possible Being.