5 Ways You Can Rock a Big Life Change
This week our family made a big life change - a huge one, in fact.
After 6 years of full-time family travel all over the US in our Airstream, we decided to live on a boat for a while.
Yep - you read that right. We bought a new home, and it floats. We're even hoping it will take us to a few foreign shores where we can experience cultures all over the world.
If you know us, you know this isn't our first big change.
In our past 15 years of marriage, we've actually had quite a few big life changes:
Marriage
Baby #1
Moving to another country
Baby #2 (born overseas)
Moving back to the States
Jobs, jobs, and more jobs
Homeschooling
Buying our dream home
Selling our dream home
Ditching everything to travel all over the United States in an Airstream
Going into debt to see more and do more with our kids
Tackling graduate school
Online business owning
And now - ditching everything again to live on a catamaran and travel internationally with our kiddos.
We've definitely had some big life changes, but to be honest, I haven't rocked them all.
In fact, sometimes, I crumbled to pieces despite my best efforts, and I'm so thankful for the people who have loved me enough to pick me up.
But no matter what,
Time after time, these 5 things keep jumping out as the best way to rock big life changes.
So I thought I'd share them with you adventure-loving folks who roam this space.
#1 - Embrace the excitement.
Anytime you decide the time has come for a big life change, there's some level of excitement that ensues. Embrace it. Feel it. Ride it out and take advantage of all that adrenaline it provides.
#2 - Write it all down.
The details. The budget. The hopes, dreams, fears, to-do lists, to-buy lists, best-case scenarios, worst-case scenarios, prayers, non-negotiables, compromises, blessings along the way. Everything. Write it all down in a journal and keep it. Then write some more and read it back. Trust me, it will help with what's coming next.
#3 - Do the work.
It isn't easy to do big life changes. In fact, some people find it so difficult that they decide to sit on their life's couch indefinitely. To take the words from my favorite writing manual, "Behind in chair. That's the only way you'll get the work done." And it's seriously true. Don't call your friend to complain about all the packing and cleaning. Don't procrastinate longer than a day or two. Do it. Seriously, just do the work. It really is the simplest thing and yet it's the one that trips up most of us.
#4 - Feel the fear.
Fear can look like a lot of things when you're making a big life change, and it can come when you least expect it. Some people call it overwhelm, bad signs, buyer's remorse, imposter syndrome, or the heebie-jeebies. For me, I just call it what it is - fear, and I know it most often comes to me at 6 am feeling like overwhelm, whining, "I just don't know where to start - I'll never get done" and then again at 3 am, waking me from a dead sleep and sounding like, "Who are you to be doing this anyway? Why don't you just settle down, miss priss, and stop dreaming so big? You're not good enough for this. Everything is going to fall apart, and you'll be so embarrassed."
And that's the time to feel it. Breathe deep, recognize that old pestering fear, and hurry onto step #5.
#5 - Tell the fear where it can go.
You have the power to decide where fear gets to go. Does it get to stay in your heart and mind or does it have to run away from you screaming and wishing it had never bothered you? The choice is yours.
You can swallow it down or you can crush it. (yes, you)
You can learn what it has to teach you and let it go, or you can allow it to move in permanently and keep you from your destiny. (yes, you)
When I'm in the midst of a big life change and fear knocks on my heart at 3am, with sweat pouring and all the worst-case scenarios playing over and over again in my mind, I tell it where to go - it can't sleep with me.
Honestly, sometimes it's not that easy and I don't conquer it that fast, but eventually, I do, and I know you will too.
And then, shift your mindsets.
Whether you love change or hate it. Whether you choose big life changes or have them thrust upon you. Whether you think you can or you think you can't.
There are mindsets that must shift before, during, and after big life changes, and they're super important.
I've seen it every single time.
But that's a different story, and I'm sharing that, along with an update about how this big boat move went, over in the programs area (and giving away the first three days free).
What have you learned from your big life changes?
Join the email group and shoot me a message with your stories - I'd love to hear them!