At one time in my life I thrived on routine and habitual acts that I could count on doing. I think pretty much all young children thrive with some kind of routine. Some grow out of that……some dont. It definitely took me a long time to grow out of it in some areas. It was a forced growth in others. I married a military man. The way his military career was, we were moving less than ever 2 years. That can force some serious change growth! As it turned out, every move we made was clear across to the other coast so, it was night and day just in the weather difference. Add in new living spaces needing new or different furniture. Of course we needed to set up our home differently in every place to accomodate the new space. The list goes on and on….new doctors, new markets, new recreational stuff….. The moves challenged me in many ways. In the end, it was all a good thing but, it didn’t always feel like that at the time. Now, I LOVE change! I get bored without it. When we separated from the military and settled down….it was about 3 years in and I was begging for some change in our home especially. I still loved our house but, I was so sick and seeing the same set up every day. I started rearranging furniture…..buying new stuff…..painting….all that only goes so far. Now, the only routine I seem to have is in direct relation to my children’s schedules. When they need to go to school or lessons here or there. I used to be very dedicated to certain TV shows….now I only have a couple I’ve been watching regularly. I’ll find a good one and then forget about it before it’s on again. My very latest venture is hair color! I’m totally addicted to changing my hair color all the time. It’s not blonde, then brown and maybe some red. We’re talking crazy colors. At the moment my hair color is pink and violet. Only they are starting to fade now so, the violet is more light blue/green. I’m also more apt to accept new style trends and own it. That is something that would’ve been very outside my comfort zone a few years back.
Here’s my daughter and I with some foils in and showing off her color.
Ok, I know….enough with my silly changes……what’s my point??? All this change that I was so reluctant to and struggled to be at peace with, has brought me amazing PEACE! Whatever it is…..I’m generally cool with it. Ok, not in ALL aspects of my life but, hey I’m a work in progress and someday…..it may just be that ALL aspects of my life are “cool with whatever” and it’s all about chillaxin’ in the end. Won’t that be nice?!?!! **Picturing myself poolside, mountain and lake view, with a lovely beverage in my hand and my favorite snack within reach while I pour into my favorite reads**
It’s interesting to watch the people in your life react to change or lack thereof. You can learn a lot about someone really quickly if you just clue in to their response to change. Chances are, if you are anti change…..the people you are around most probably are cool with it. This isn’t the case all the time of course but, how often can a couple major control freaks who hate change, really ever agree on anything or be at peace. It’s likely they always go to the same place for lunch because, not only do they not want to change but, could they even agree on another place??
Learning to deal with change will help you excel in your life. Not only will you broaden your horizons and allow yourself to experience new things but, it will teach you to be flexible. I ask you, look at your life and the people you deal with in your life……wouldn’t being flexible make things a lot easier on everyone? Being flexible can be a serious challenge to control freaks **Here I am in all my control freak glory needing to take my own advice** Having to be flexible means you are not always going to be in control of the situation. It means possibly allowing others around you to run the show. DON’T PANIC!!! It’s OK if someone else takes the reins for a minute. This will give you time to relax and breath! Know that although change can be extra hard for a control freak, that most of the time, you can be in CONTROL of the changes yourself……eventually, you’ll have learned how to be flexible without even thinking about it. Trust me……learning flexibility is the key to chillaxin’!
Lets start pushing your change limits.
~Have you had the same haircut for you can’t tell me how many years? If so, I challenge you to get a new one. Not just a little extra trim off the bottom but, one that will actually CHANGE the way you need to do your hair in the morning. Poor Donald Trump just can’t get out of his hair rut…. 
~Are you in a make-up rut? When’s the last time you tried a new color on your eyes? How about…..dare I say….a new brand of make-up? Make 1 change to your make-up routine…..either a new brand of something or even just a new color on your lips.
~What’s your closet look like? 5 of the same shirt but, different colors? When you find that awesome top, I say….grab a few colors!! Then, go find another style and add that to your wardrobe too. Don’t wear the exact same style 2 days in a row only a different color. Trust me, the people around you will notice that and it’s not just the judgmental chicks who will notice 😉
~Do you have the same workout routine that you do at the same time of day every time you workout? If so, this has got to change! Your body has undoubtedly stalled and isn’t showing you results anymore. Your body gets used to the same workout and will stop responding to it. To read more on this, read this post . Working out at the same time of day isn’t that big of a deal. Most people have no choice but to consistently do their workout either before or after work. That said, it’s kind of fun to see what working out at different times of the day does for us. You may be surprised how that endorphin response changes your day or your evening.
~How many times have you gone to the same restaurant and ordered the same order. If you go in and the wait staff already know your order before you open your mouth…..time to try one of the other awesome selections. After all…..if you love the one dish, you’ll likely like another. The restaurant can’t stay in business with only one good dish. Just think if you had more than one choice??
I challenge you to pick something and change it in the next week. You may just surprise yourself with how much you like the new point of view. Since I want to help you in this process, please chime in and let me know what your change plans are. Together, we can hold each other accountable on our change journey’s.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read my blog. I hope you found it interesting and informative. Feel free to share my blog with others. They might be able to benefit from some change too 😉
Molly Pendlebury 