While hiking this week there was much talk about life changes and new things in the lives of the #NDYCrew (Not Yet Dead Crew) and I couldn't help remember something I used to teach about when I worked in education:

The Challenge of Change

If you look closely, change has challenge inside of it, and every challenge is surrounded by change:

CHA-LLE-NGE

In my work as a life coach I like to think of the L.L.E. within challenge as:

LET. LIFE. EVOLVE.

All too often you want to hold on to what was because it is familiar, and easy, and routine. Your brain LOVES familiar, easy, and routine because that is less work for the machine in your head.

When you make changes in your life, the challenges come from your brain FREAKING the FRACK out because now it's on HIGH alert for danger.

There is no real danger, certainly not life-threatening danger by any means, but to your animal brain there is the possibility -- it just doesn't know any better.

It's using fear to try to keep you safe.

When your nest empties you might say, "I don’t know how I fit into my kids’ lives now.”

Which is definitely fear speaking for you.

Instead of saying to yourself, "I'm afraid." try saying, "I'm curious."

Heading into new situations and challenges is a lot easier on our brains when you use curiosity instead of fear as your lens.

If you have a change coming up in your life give it a try and send me a message to let me know how it went.

Until next time don't forget...

Every step has purpose.

#hikingma #hikinglife #emptynest #emptynester #emptynesting #emptynestcoach #NDYCrew