“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
— R. Buckminster Fuller
Is your world crumbling around you? Perhaps you’ve lost a job or a loved one. Perhaps you’re going through a divorce, bankruptcy or a life-threatening illness. Or maybe your situation is more subtle – mid life crisis or career change. Whatever the situation, your life feels unstable, even like it’s falling apart.
It happens to each of us, in one way or another. Dramatic events and crises can shake us to our roots. But believe it or not, transformation is at work.
Significant life changes are called paradigm shifts. A paradigm is a way of seeing, a mental model, a filter for our perceptions and thinking, a belief system, a frame of reference. Dramatic life changes can tear apart our old paradigms and force us to create new ones.
In all that happens, we can find a blessing and a curse. The curse? Crises are tough and scary times to live through. We lose our ground, our sense of support and we can easily fall into fear. Our thoughts and emotions and often our behaviour get thrown into chaos.
And the blessing? These changes break down old beliefs, illusions, and conditioning that no longer serve us. Life is waking us up, inviting us to open to a deeper identity. In the rubble of our collapsed concepts, we will discover a new truth about who we are. Whatever the shift taking place, this is a time of growth.
Knowing this, how do we work with these crises in our lives? Here are some suggestions:
– STOP RESISTING these forces of change. Resistance just prolongs the whole experience and makes it more painful.
– TRUST the wise part of you to understand what’s happening. Call on your faith and surrender to the higher powers at work.
– BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF as you move through this void. Nurture yourself. Get lots of rest and quiet time and eat well.
– Stay as conscious as you can to what’s happening. Release the old and FOCUS ON THE NEW and better world that’s arising. Fashion a new framework that reflects a bigger picture of who you are.
We grow and evolve by being willing to change our view of reality – the way we perceive, think, and value both ourselves and the world. So take time to know yourself and your environment.
Where are the tensions in your life – environmental, psychological and spiritual? How are you changing your perspectives and ways of living?