Change. It’s a scary thing, and fears associated with change often cause people to just give up. But how scary is not making a change? Let me ask you to try this. Pick up a 50-pound rock and carry it around with you. No, not just for a few seconds, or even a few hours. Do it forever. That’s what an unexecuted change can feel like. It weighs you down, potentially adversely affecting up to seven fundamental areas of your life:
1. Psychological Wellness:
It takes mental energy to not do something, even though you know it would be helpful. The result? Reduced focus, concentration, creativity and mental acuity making you feel irritable, sad, helpless or even worthless and can cause your self-esteem to plummet.
2. Physical Health:
The anxiety can cause headaches, backaches, GI issues, chest pains or even more colds (due to a suppressed immune system). And the mental stress can also affect your physical health.
3. Relationships:
If the change you are avoiding has to do with a relationship, what is that costing you? Are you settling for “comfortable” at the cost of having a healthy and positive relationship?
A lack of personal connection with loved ones, while giving them monetary support, can lead to divorce
from your spouse or distance you from your child.
4. Work:
Is staying the same on your farm making you lose money? Is not changing preventing your farm from growing? List all the things that you could do and put a price tag to each one. The result? Could bring change and a profit
5. Fun:
Fun promotes happiness, and positive psychology shows us how important that is to our work
6. Finances:
The changes you are not making may very well be leading to a lack of financial growth on your farm.
7. Spirituality:
It is tough to be the true you, to apply your values and strengths, when you are stressed out. And when we are not our authentic selves, we often behave in unhealthy ways: excessive shopping, substance abuse, overeating. When you make the changes to become the real you, an energetic shift occurs, in both you and those around you.
Acnowledgement to Elizabeth Lombardo
