Aside from coping with the changes we cannot control, there are times when we are presented with opportunities to change the course of our lives. These opportunities can be equally as intimidating, but they also come with great rewards.
Some of us see these rewards as an incentive and appreciate change as something to incorporate semi-frequently in life. Many find fulfillment in simple comforts and in maintaining stable consistency in life. Either way, we choose lifestyles that adhere to our individual ways of life and that reflect our values. Although, even those who are committed to making minimal moves and staying put still face big changes and milestones they choose such as higher education or starting a family.
Personally, I fall fiercely on the side of the spectrum of deliberately making big leaps. Sometimes it’s difficult and frustrating for me when I interact with people who are unhappy and have the ability to take a chance on a change but resist it. I don’t think there are direct solutions to happiness or that to escape a setting or situation is necessarily an instant cure for a state of mind and all will be well.
I think we can be easily fooled into thinking an impulsive, drastic change is all we have to do to start living better. It usually doesn’t take one thing, but follow through and work thereafter. I also understand that it’s hard to make a change and let go even in a toxic situation. Good things can feel uncomfortable.
However, so many people talk about how a breakup, a letter of resignation, a plane ticket, etc. feels far too daunting, and they are willing to keep on keeping on. In a podcast I recently listened to on the science of change, they discussed how people will indicate that making a change from an unhappy situation has a 50% chance of making them happier. Remaining in the situation they indicate is a 100% chance of unhappiness. Even with this awareness, people are less likely to make the change because they are uncertain of the outcome. They are willing to sit with knowing 100% dissatisfaction rather than risk for better. Which do you prefer?
To me, if I’m not happier with the change, I know I’ll be satisfied with learning and having tried. This doesn’t mean I fearlessly leap towards opportunities and don’t look back. Often a lot of overthinking is involved and there’s a stage of paralysis prior to a decision. These thoughts, fear, and paralysis can easily taint a celebratory moment. How can we make great opportunities a more pleasurable, slightly easier experience?
Lots of people have difficulty adjusting to great opportunities even if they’ve spent years working towards it. Because what if after all those years and hard work the reward isn’t as great as we dreamed? What do we do after achieving a big goal?
How do we know when it’s the “right time” to make a big change? I tend to get an overall sense of restlessness. I have friends who talk about making changes when they feel they aren’t learning anything new in their current situation. Timing to me also often comes in the form of synchronicity. These are the subtle, often repetitive and inexplainable signs that can redirect us. Anyone can make a sign out of anything, but the “real” ones hit differently and hit hard. Recently I’m noticing some blatant synchronicities guiding a life-course change I’m now pondering. They’re impossible to ignore!
There are times when making a big leap despite the signs and pulls to isn’t the right time because of x, y, z. Sometimes x, y, z may not be issues down the line so it’s logical to wait. Then there are times when some other factor comes in preventing the big leap. When it’s always something that seems to be holding you back, at what point is that something you?
Manifestation has been a big buzzword on social media. Sometimes I think different people perceive its meaning differently. It involves using intention, words, and will to create an outcome. If manifestation were like casting a spell, I imagine hope and faith as ingredients thrown into the steaming cauldron. People debate about it falling somewhere between it guiding action, energy, and work towards the outcome and it simply being an intention we put “out there” and surrender to the outcome.
Those whose approach is more aligned with the latter believe that too much work distracts from the outcome and enlists too much control. Alternatively, those who are more action driven find the latter to be too passive, that no matter how hard we wish for something it won’t simply appear.
To me, the key to manifestation is a balance of the two. Both require consistent, directed energy that together can lead to the desired outcome. With a lot of effort we could probably manipulate things to lead to our outcome which would validate the success rate of manifestation. There are no guarantees that what we manifest will come true as we envisioned it. Because things change, sometimes what we manifest needs to change. Sometimes what we think is right for us and for the world changes.
When you’re feeling ready or almost ready to make a big life leap, manifested or not, it helps to take and celebrate the small steps. Making a list of the steps counts as a step! Tell a friend or member of your support system about your plans and good news. You might find you get stuck on a particular small step. Reflect on your hesitance here.
There’s a difference between the discomfort that means you’re not ready or it’s not a good idea and the discomfort that comes with new and exciting challenges. Sit with the discomfort and pay attention to synchronicities for assurance. It’s okay to grieve what you have to let go as a result of this change. Trust in your intuition and judgement.
Are you due for a big leap? Best of luck to you on the big changes you’re manifesting! If you like this page, please share it.
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