EMBRACING CHANGE

“You’ve changed.” These words have been painted in such a negative light.. and why? Isn’t change inevitable? We go through experiences, even in our day to day life, that mold us into someone new.. to some extent anyway. Our hearts and our souls remain the same, but our mannerisms and the way that we cope and handle challenges change as we learn and as we grow. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

I have changed a lot in the past two years. I made a career move that changed my entire life 180 degrees. I’m barely home, so I’ve learned to prioritize the time that I do have at home, making sure I spend the most time with the people who mean the most to me. Unfortunately, this meant less coffee dates with friends I would typically meet with once a month when I worked in Queen Anne. It sucks, I’m not gonna lie about that. I do want to be better and I’m working on being better at reaching out to old friends more often. It’s not easy, but it’ll be worth every shot I’ve got.

I’ve traveled to more places than I have in my entire life in the span of two years and I feel so so so incredibly lucky (even that is an understatement). There’s not a day I don’t think to myself how lucky I am to be excited to go to work. It makes me feel like everyone should know what this feels like. My love for travel keeps growing by the day, and I have been pushed out of my comfort zone countless times because of it. My journey really started when I booked a ticket to London two years ago and never looked back. I knew it was going to be hard being alone, traveling from place to place, especially considering I hated something as simple as grabbing lunch by myself. But now, here I am in downtown Denver, in some random coffeeshop, typing this post up. And I am so comfortable, and so happy. I want to say I feel like a new person, but that’s not necessarily true. I feel like the person I wished I was when my self-esteem was low and when I was too dependent on other people. I like that I can do things by myself and I like that I’ve learned to appreciate my own company. I feel like that’s so important.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met someone who made me want to be a better person. And that’s a form of change, right? To do better and to be better? What I learned about myself is that I’m an easily inspired person. I could have a quick ten minute conversation with someone, then suddenly feel like I need to get out there and do something big. I just met with another flight attendant recently who really made me consider planning my move to London sometime in the near future. The thought is moving is scary, but it’s exciting and here’s the thing – it doesn’t have to be permanent! No change you make has to be a definite thing. You keep moving forward to strive for your true happiness. And the funny thing is, even what happiness means to you will change, so you’ll have to decide what to do to cater to what makes your heart feel the most full. This is an ongoing process that makes life so special.

I just think it’s really important to remind ourselves that change is not necessarily a bad thing. Try not to be so hard on yourself if you do something and it feels like a mistake. Everything you do is a learning experience and will better prepare you for the future. Change will happen, and it’s up to you whether you want it to be a good one or a bad one.

rosie