Have you ever found yourself in a moment where you were thinking to yourself, “now wait just a minute, I didn’t sign up for this?”
I know I have felt this way a few times in my life. One time, in particular, was when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 with three children ages 1 to 11 years old. I was thinking, well this is not very good timing, but then there is never really a good time to get cancer.
Talk about life changing…
Change can be overwhelming for many, even when it’s your choice and self-imposed. New Year’s resolutions are self-imposed changes, some people jokingly refer to them as a to-do list for the first few weeks of the year.  Self-imposed changes can include fitness goals and getting healthy, your career and your social life. One day you may wake up and think I’m not feeling very good about myself and would like to lose 15 pounds. You may want to start an exercise plan or quit a bad habit.
Maybe you’re unfulfilled in your current job and want to make a career change or start a new hobby. You think this is the year I will take up biking, golf, tennis or train for a marathon.
These are all great changes to make or goals to work towards. And even though it is your choice to do so, there still may be times that it seems overwhelming and you may need to give yourself permission for a redo.
Then there are the times in your life that change is not your choice. These are the situations that are put upon you and leave you thinking “I didn’t sign up for this.”
The life-changing situation that you did not anticipate. Imposed changes can show up in the form of a diagnosis of a disease, loss of a job, a break-up or divorce.
When you have no choice in change it can present an even greater challenge. This is when you really need to keep only the thoughts that make you stronger. I learned to do this when I was recovering from cancer surgery and realized I had to take my life just one day at a time. Some days I had to take my days just a moment at a time. Breaking down tasks into small achievable steps is simply the only way to deal with change, whether the change is your choice or not.
“When you cannot change a certain situation, the best thing to change is a certain someone. Yourself!”
-Lauren Daniels