As I write this article, the screech of packing tape and the clank of glass dishes hitting against each other in a cardboard box surround my senses. To the average onlooker, the sight of moving boxes wouldn’t gain a second glance but, for me, my eyes are glued to the square shapes scattered along our hardwood floors. In a few hours, the home that we built for a decade was quickly set into containers both big and small.
To say that I am excited for this adventure would be a great understatement as making the decision to travel to a new location will set the tone for greater possibilities. However, there is a part of me that is equally terrified at the thought of it.
For a great portion of my life, I have thrived on the common routine that was built by familiarity. I would walk through the same door each time I would visit home for breaks, travel up the same set of stairs and, because of the limited amount of attractions to take part in, visit the same spaces that held any prospect of entertainment. In short, I had grown into a routine that I was comfortable with. And that, my friends, is probably what I have the most problem with.
The life that I have led has always been set on the line of safe and somewhat boring as I was never moving away from the daily activities. On deeper reflection, I began to lose what made me “me” and allowed the stuff that I did every day to determine who I was as a person. I was not moving forward nor moving behind, but stuck in a place where no progress was being made.
With that being said, now is the time to embrace “new” rather than to run away from it.
1. New areas will become available to you.
Of course, this falls more on the side of changing scenery, but with a few twinks here and there, this can also apply to your every day motions. Even if you are just moving a few cities down or a whole ocean away, setting your eyes on new sights and activities refreshes your mind and the curiosity that laid dormant from the time you could tell each street within a hundred mile radius.
2. Opportunities will arise, both big and small.
Although this is a branch off of our previous point, opening yourself to change can also lay down a path for a once unseen job opening or a chance to build/rebuild a relationship lost to time. By expanding your mind to the good of change, you are then able to build a bridge that allows you to see past what has normally been done and be provided with the courage to step forward into a position or take on a whole new way of handling situations.
3. There will be more to learn.
Learning can become a difficult trade when there seems to be nothing left to explore in your life. By taking the time to change, you open your mind and heart to the things that are still left undiscovered.
4. Adventures will wait on the horizon.
New places in your life usually correlate with new, and exciting, activities. Have you ever wanted to explore the depths of hidden caverns or take a turn to ride a wave on the coast? How about just wanting to try out the city life your friends keep telling you about? Through change we expand our options for excitement and things we have accomplished in our lives.
5. Your outlook on life will change.
Challenges are a part of every day life, but how we handle those challenges make us who we are as a person. However, if the predicaments we find ourselves in harm our individuality, whether it be through emotional or mental means, we may look at our lives as more of a hindrance than a blessing. By moving beyond the place in your life that has brought you down, the chance for a more positive future will lie in reach.
6. Moving forward will be easier.
Deciding that change is an important part to your further growth can be one of the hardest decisions you face as an individual. This is even more true for those who have never been accustomed to such significant change. However, once you make the choice to change, for yourself and the people around you, any obstacles that follow suit will be significantly easier to manage now that you know that you are able to handle whatever life throws your way.
7. Routines can become a thing of the past.
Moving, whether physically or in spirit, can showcase flaws in the system you have created. We are comfortable with the thought of doing the same things at the same time every single day and by doing so we have missed some pretty amazing stuff that was in our lives. Now that change is under your belt, you have the opportunity to branch out past the familiar routines.
8. Your happiness will not be dictated by inflexibility.
There's less room to maneuver your schedule when everything you do has already been decided for the day. If there is something that you have always wanted to achieve, change is the best way to clear what you had planned.
9. Life will be a tad bit more interesting.
Making away with habits, whether boring or generally time-consuming, can spark a creative part of ourselves that could have been lost. Even if it is just a change of style in clothing or taking a different way to school in the morning, a difference can quickly "spice up" your life.
10. You will be more understanding of others.
While staying in one place can provide feelings of safety, there are also downsides to these situations. For some, they may become oblivious to the problems of others while they face the comfort of their every day lives. Through change, you then break down the wall between yourself and the people around you and are more able to make connections, all the while opening your heart to the dilemmas that define their lives.
11. You will be able to find yourself (again).
Whether you turned into an entirely different person on your journey or are just wanting to redefine who you are, taking the time to change everything you have known will help you to see the "you" that time and routine forgot. Clearing your mind and body of the things that tore you down or kept you in a place where you didn't make progress will grant you with the courage to find what makes you happy.
It may turn out that change doesn't have to be a bad thing at all. Maybe it is necessary, for all of us, so that we are able to make a new path for ourselves.
