We spend much of our lives establishing routines. As children, routines were part of our daily lives. Eventually, routines become habits, and habits become patterns of behavior. We repeat them over and over without stopping to see if they are still effective. Once we establish a routine, it is a challenge to change. There are a few occasions for which we will change our routine temporarily, such as taking an alternate route to work. However, many times, changing our routines is a result of our wanting to avoid something. It is natural to resist change.nnInterestingly enough, change itself is natural. Seasons change, bodies change, housing and economic needs change, even the airline industry experiences change. Change surrounds us every day, although we fail to notice it until the overall effects make it difficult to ignore. How often do we drive by the same vacant land, only to one day notice it is now developed into a new housing complex, and ask, “When did those go up?” nnYour resistance to change is reduced or eliminated once you learn how to cultivate it instead. Resistance is an opportunity dressed in work clothes. By learning how to leverage changes around us, the experience of changing is less like sandpaper on silk.nnChange has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. nn– King Whitney Jr.nCultivating change allows you to deal with change one small step at a time, making times of unexpected hardship easier to navigate. Resisting change leaves you ill prepared for catastrophe. Do you refuse to go to the doctor for a checkup because you fear that something might be wrong? Acknowledge that you deserve health. Shift your mind-set to believe that knowing the truth about your health will provide many opportunities to have a more positive effect on your health. Choose to take a five minute “time-out” for yourself each day.nnWelcoming change encourages you to take responsibility for creating your life in the way that works best for you. Begin to question why you choose certain behaviors. It may be that at some point early in life you tried something new, and maybe it didn’t work out well. Did your parents make statements such as “you always seem to attract trouble”? Did you adopt the feeling that the world was against you? Years later, are you justifying things that didn’t turn out as expected by repeating those same comments to yourself? Cultivate a change in attitude by listing every accomplishment that is evidence to the contrary. Acknowledge what you have learned or gained from those positive experiences. nnResisting change reinforces the victim mentality. Changing this pattern and refusing to accept that you attract everything negative provides the opportunity to move in a more productive direction. nnPracticing the art of change allows you to take in more information, enabling you to make more informed decisions. Insisting that things remain the same results in stagnation and deprives you of growth and opportunities. When computers became more commonplace at work, much of the workforce resisted the change. “Computers are a passing fad; they won’t last!” was a widely held belief. Workers who resisted the technological age spent valuable energy trying to convince others that computers were a waste of time and money. That energy could have been better spent learning computer skills and leveraging new knowledge to secure better employment.nnWhen faced with a change, do you react or respond? Reacting is taking something at face value in the context of past experience. It can be a form of unconscious decision making, based on past experiences that “feel” or “sound” the same. Responding is openly accepting information with which to make a decision in the context of a current situation, and only within that specific context. nnThe ability to change your perspective makes you more attractive to others. Resisting change affects your relationships, career, health, and happiness. When you offer several solutions to a problem instead of giving advice on what you feel is best, is your input received more favorably? Try telling a teenager what to do, and you will experience resistance at full strength. Ask him what he believes is a good solution, and then listen. The more often you try this, the less resistance you will encounter. Changing your perspective from “I know” to “what do you think?” increases possibilities for better and deeper understanding.nnLeveraging change by creating new habits provides new opportunities. Resisting change keeps you in a state of fear. Most of us remember our first job interview. Days before, you rehearsed answers to commonly asked questions, scoured your wardrobe for an outfit to make the right impression, and crafted questions to ask about the company and your specific position. How did you handle the first rejection? First, you may have vowed never to interview again. Then you tried again and resolved to learn how not to make the same mistakes. Most of us learned from that first experience and strengthened our interviewing skills. nnEmbracing change opens space for calm and purpose to expand in your life. Resisting change creates drama and uncertainty. Recently, a company lost a major contract, resulting in the anticipation of the layoff of thousands of employees. Most employees reacted by immediately calling job placement companies and recruiters. They started jumping ship before they knew if it was sinking. Some employees began gathering information about alternative jobs within the company or chose to investigate other interests they had been putting off for years.nnLearn wisdom from the ways of a seedling. A seedling which is never hardened off through stressful situations will never become a strong productive plant. n– Stephen SigmundnnCultivating change is a perception shift. By learning to respond to change instead of resisting or reacting to it, you can accept change for what it is, not for what it does to you. Cultivating change is identifying opportunities within a change that are inevitable, responding in ways that enrich your life, and seeking balance in the face of that change.nn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. 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