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.