Change
Change is constant and some changes can affect your life for good or for bad, yet your ability to embrace change can help to mitigate the anxiety that naturally comes with change.
Very often fear of the unknown is what creates a high level of anxiety rather than the change itself. For many people Certainty, identified as one of the basic human needs, is something they ardently desire. Any deviation from that creates a high level of uncertainty and anxiety.
Let’s look at three examples of change and ways to look at them negatively and positively.
Starting Your Own Business
Negative: I’m only starting my own business because I’ve been laid off and I’ve not found a job that pays me enough to take care of my basic expenses and provide for my family. Working from home is not my thing. By starting my own business, I may invest money and don’t make money.
Positive: I’ve not been able to find the right job yet, but I have skills for my years of working for my employer and I’m going to see how I can use those skills to start a business of my own. I know I will probably invest in adding new skills to make my new business a success, but it’s a challenge I’m ready to take on.
Do you see the difference in attitude? One shows belief in her ability to succeed, whereas the other is basically setting herself up for failure. Two different perspectives on change.
Paying Off Debt
Not everyone gets into debt because they spent foolishly. Medical bills can add up fast. Or it may be an investment that did not pan out. For example, between 2004 and 2007 the price of land decreased dramatically in many areas. My husband and purchased a lot for $21,000. Less than five years later our tax valuation said it was worth $3,000. Fortunately, we did not owe money on this property so we’ve been able to just let it sit there and pay the taxes. Hopefully, in the future values in the area will increase again.
Many of my associates invested their own money and borrowed money to purchase several lots. When the recession came in 2008, they owed much more than the lots were worth. Same with housing. Thousands of people were “upside-down.”
For most people, it is a long road to get out of debt, during which time you may have had to deprive yourself of a lot of things. What will be your attitude when you pay off your debt?
Negative: I’ve finally paid off my debt. I deprived myself of a lot and now I’m going to treat myself but will only put $100 on my credit card. Not a good way to start if you want to remain out of debt.
Positive: I’m grateful that is behind me. I will only use a credit card if there is a dire emergency and there is no other way out.
I managed to cut my spending for a long time to pay off this debt. I will now increase my savings instead.
Moving Somewhere New
My husband and I started seriously thinkin
g about selling our home and moving at the end of 2019. We are empty-nesters and did not need all the space in our home, which was only fully used when all of our children and their families came at one time. For me, it began to feel more of a burden than a delight.
We knew we wanted to stay in Florida because neither of us like the cold, and after checking out some counties in Florida and discovering how cold they got in the winter, we knew where we did not want to go.
Negative: We could have focused on having to pack up 15 years of stuff, what to get rid of and what to keep, putting our house on the market and having potential buyers going in and out of our home, moving costs, etc.
Positive: We focused on moving to a new area, meeting new people, and creating new experiences. True, because of the pandemic we’ve not met as many people as we could have, but we have met and connected on Zoom with many delightful people. Another positive is that I now live less than 10 miles from my brother…a lot closer than over 100 miles apart.
By changing your thoughts, as the quote said at the beginning, you can change your viewpoint and your world.
