MyPharmaceutical.2019: #change is inevitable, so deal with it!

I started out the year on my first long-term pharmaceutical.  Yep. Now, I can hear my parents many rooms away, shouting at each other to “TAKE YOUR PILL!”  While I don’t have a pill organizer yet, it did present an interesting start to 2019.

Every January we get to do it over, create a new version of ourselves and our lives. We can choose to move forward to that new/new, and we can choose to do nothing. Think about it; each new year many of us experience amazing degrees of change.  A new job. A new role in our current job. Maybe a new boss. A new living arrangement. A new set of goals.

In my case, a recent test led me to my current state. A pill I will probably be on for the rest of my life or until a new pill comes along that makes this pill obsolete. What did it do for me? It was really a tremendous thing.  I’ve lost 20 lbs and changed my life. Eating is different. Thinking is different. Hell, my clothes are definitely different!

The New Year provides us with a really cool perspective.  It’s called the “Do Over.” Whatever happened last year is frankly last year.  It’s a history that is no longer ours to hold. Good year or bad, doesn’t matter.  (Celebrate it for sure). What a relief! And a gift too, since we can now set our sights forward and find out what’s in store for us for the next 365 days.

And while that sounds exciting, it can also be a bit overwhelming.  So what are we really talking about here? We are talking about…CHANGE!

So, what is it about change that makes us so freaking nuts?  Change can be difficult because it alerts our security features connected to ancient wiring in a part of the brain called the Amygdala.  It’s a bit of neuroscience that basically says “go find stuff to eat and don’t get eaten while doing it!” It tells us that doing the same thing — not changing — is a safe, warm and a secure place to remain.  A fixed mindset that keeps us from growing and experiencing the next level of us. And when change is forced upon us it gets even more tense. When we don’t have a choice we get really tight about things.

In meditation it is said: “Everything changes. Don’t cling. When we cling, we set ourselves up for a struggle.” So, what to do about change in 2019?

1. Embrace it for God’s sake!  It’s inevitable as they say, so know it’s coming if it’s not already here.
2. Control what you can control.  The rest is just noise. That means stay present.  
3. Moving forward is what it’s all about.  If we stay where we are, we essentially die.  (Grim? Yes, and boring too. Change your view; now is a perfect opportunity to do so.)

And another thought: Change shouldn’t be experienced or realized only when a significant event occurs.  (Like taking a pill forever or else!) We can want change too. When we create change, we are telling ourselves something important is ready for our attention.  We are ready for the next thing. Take that moment and give it purpose. Honor it. It’s a prescription for an interesting year.