2020 - Here's to Change!

"Don't fear change - embrace it." -Anthony J. D'Angelo

Wow!  2020, the start of not only a new year, but a new decade as well.  Change is in the air.  We don't have to watch the news very long to see how our political, economic, social and environmental systems are struggling with change.  The world is not the same as it was a decade ago.  We are in a time of tremendous change and that is terrifying for many people.
   Personally, I am in the process of opening my own business.  We purchased and renovated an office and I left the group I was with to open my own practice.  It has been a terrifying leap of faith and one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done.  Change is like that.  It is both scary and exciting.  It forces us to look at things we may have preferred to not look at before, as well as to grow in ways we may not have thought we were capable of doing.  Being human is amazing.  We have the complexity and depth to be able to hold two diametrically opposing emotions simultaneously.  We can be scared and excited at the same time.  We can be intensely angry at someone and love them deeply.  We can be deeply saddened at the loss of a loved one and deeply grateful for the gifts they gave us.  
     Change is not easy.  Watching people and our systems struggle with change can feel depressing.  I know though, that every change also creates an opportunity for something new.  I am very hopeful that all of the struggle we see around us right now is teaching us to be better.  Can we be better citizens who participate actively in our political process? Can we learn lessons from economic mistakes? Can we create social equality for all?  Can we be better stewards of the environment?  Of course we can!  We just need to embrace the opportunity that change presents.  We are capable of feeling scared, and also moving forward.  I would not have completed the office or started my own practice if I listened to the fears that wanted to stop me (and they were loud at times!).  As Susan Jeffers says, "Feel the fear and do it anyway."
   Here is to 2020, a new year and a new decade to embrace change and grow in some exciting new ways!  What changes do you want to create in your life?