As I enter September I find myself reflective about changes going on around me. I see just the tiniest tinge of change letting me know Summer is winding down. The landscape will change from lush greens and growth to brilliant oranges and reds. The temperatures will lose the heavy humidity and warmth in favor of cooler afternoons. Even though I know nature has been preparing for the arrival of Fall it is only now I see the changes more vividly. The world at large is also changing with a lot of changes being forced and drastic this year but at the same time changing in health and what it means to be healthy.
In our own life we see changes all the time. Most are so minute we don’t recognize them and others seem to spring at us out of the blue. I often like to think of changes like weight loss. We don’t think much of the pound or two loss week to week but when we drop that first 10 or even 20 then we realize there were changes all along because our clothes fit differently now. We see the momentum, progress and start t to feel the power of the changes we have been working on. We feel different one day as a result and yet all along that change was building one baby step at a time.
Throughout this month I’m going to focus on the word CHANGE. Often we resist change but it is inevitable with all things in life and nature. Where we can use change to our best benefit is when we learn to master the flow of it and feel comfortable with wielding its power in our own hands. Change isn’t something we can just jump at the controls and force but rather it is a skill learned like an apprentice to a master. Each baby step seems pointless and yet when all of them are combined the apprentice realizes she has learned a new artisan skill that she can mold into her own craft. We can master changes in our life to live well, feel better and move towards things that build on those feelings and desires, if we are willing to accept and make changes.
As I’ve matured on my natural living journey I realize I have made lots of changes. Most intentional and some a byproduct of living differently. There is still so much more to learn and grow on my own journey and it is ever changing just like life itself. Taking the helm of controls as I become stronger in my own health and wisdom for what nature can do in my life is an apprentice change I welcome because I desire for these lessons to continue to help me emerge in what it means to live well. For me this has included finding the right tools to aide in those changes as well as knowing I own the speed in which changes are going to happen in my health.
It is hard at times to feel ready to change. We get used to that comfortable way things are and we feel a sense of loss when they fade away or don’t work the same way we’re used to. Even when we know what is occurring isn’t right for us and doesn’t feel good we still tend to resist the work of changing it. We fear failure. We don’t feel ready to take on the work. We fear the unknown and resist going into something making us uncomfortable, forcing us to change and adapt. When you live naturally it is also not always easy to accept nature’s changes and flow into them easily. We are after all creatures of comfort and habit.
As I’ve looked at what change means in living naturally it does truly come down to our openness about current comfort and current habits. Newness often means adjusting to a new type of comfort that may not feel good at first and forming new routines and habits to conduct every day living. It is in that very crux of adaption to change that we can most influence our changes to be healthier, more positive, enriching, fulfilling and satisfying to our life. It takes our own conscious decision to move in that direction followed by our own dedication to seeing it through. Even if the change is small we can instil the tools of motivation and interest, that we need to make progress. That slight tinge of change that leaves us feeling empowered and strengthened is sometimes all it takes to make the change more tolerable and drives us towards those larger milestones.
When I looked at how I started my natural living journey it didn’t seem like changing a household cleaner I used to clean my toilets would equate to much. As I changed more products and expanded it into my personal care products I still at times didn’t notice much change. It smelled better. I knew it was better quality ingredients that were toxic free and good for me, but still it didn’t seem enough. It wasn’t until I also added in healthier habits and changes that compounded those product changes that I really began to notice what it all meant, how it felt different and positive results. I have noticed the same with my clients I work with in their living natural journey. Too often we fall for the idea that just adding something new like an essential oil, natural facial cleanser or quality vitamins is all we need to do and changes will happen. Changes will happen but it won’t be until we implement the work behind supporting what those tools help us achieve.
The truth is we cannot just apply an essential oil and expect it to do all the work in making healthy changes in our body. Doing only this leads only to dismal results and the belief the oils, product and change doesn’t work. We don’t see much change and soon give up believing it not worth out time. My favorite example of this is with my own health in improving my digestion. I started taking the doTERRA PB Assist + and TerraZyme to help with some digestive problems I was experiencing. I didn’t change what I was eating though and those problems while slightly improved didn’t really change until I also changed what I was eating. Then between the digestive supplements and my work progress happened and my problems went away.
Part of the struggle with change is the desire for instant transformation. There is no patience for things that are difficult or challenging and we don’t want to wait weeks or months for improvements to be seen. This continues to be an area of growth in my own natural living journey. I get comfortable where I am and the idea of starting something new and not seeing progress fast is discouraging to me. It makes it difficult to stick with it while knowing if I’m if I’m doing it right or wrong. What could be worse than going months and realizing I was doing it wrong!
Change sometimes means we need to start over and do it again. It sometimes means we need to try something else all together. This is where our motivation can slip away and we return to those comfortable old habits that while not healthy or positive at least were consistent and known. It is easier to say it didn’t work, was too much or not worth it than to try again. I’m guilty of this myself, especially when it comes to weight loss. It isn’t that I don’t want to lose weight and be healthier but I become tired of trying again and the constant fight to win over cravings, temptation and excuses to not work out today. Instead of seeing it as a setback and trying again tomorrow it’s easier to return to poor habits that I don’t have to work at or think about.
When we choose to pursue a natural lifestyle it doesn’t mean the excuses, cravings and temptation go away on their own. It doesn’t mean there won’t be days we go back to old ways of doing something or using a product filled with toxic ingredients out of convenience, sale price or some other qualifying conditions we deem important that day. It is however when we recognize how we feel when we revert to those old comfortable ways that makes us realize we were making progress and it was positive for us. I honestly have stopped seeing setbacks as anything but opportunities for me to assess how far I have come in making changes.
Change happens all the time around and in us. Mastering change is how we get into the rhythm of seeing it as part of our journey that helps us grow rather than something to be resisted and avoided. Doing so, brings us greater peace in our life as well as the ability to influence what those changes mean to us.
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