Why does it take loss for people to make a change? Why does it take tragedy to wake us up? Why does it take public humiliation to do so? Why don't we change willingly? Are we such creatures of habit that habit becomes more powerful than common sense? Like food, everything in our lives has an expiry date. Unhappiness in any area of life is a precursor for change, a red flag so to speak that the expiry date is drawing near. Imagine how powerful it would be if we all perceived change as a blessing and worked with it rather than against it.
The recent Tiger Woods drama illustrates this perfectly. Here's this guy with a beautiful family, a mega career, and financial abundance who was unwilling to make the necessary changes in his personal life. Rather than face it head on, he chose the path of infidelity to avoid doing so. His unwillingness to tackle the issues within himself, his marriage or life has culminated in a public humiliation. What you resist will persist. You can't tame the monster forever. What you feed in the darkness will demand to see the light of day. He may be a golf icon but he's also a man who needs to do some soul searching. When one is too busy with matters of the physical world, the inner life suffers.
However, Tiger is not the only one among us who resists or avoids change. The majority change direction during or after a breakdown/crisis occurs. If it were left up to us, we would choose to live stagnant lives. Change is the one constant in life. We can learn to either deal with it or face the consequences. In Tiger's case, he's facing the consequences. Had he sat down with his wife for a heart to heart, or expressed his unhappiness, or perhaps even asked for a divorce it could've saved him from such a fate. Instead, he chose to test fate. Because of this folly, he put his reputation and career, marriage and family on the line. From all accounts, Tiger is known to guard his privacy but how much of it was really privacy and not secrecy?
As the year draws near, sit and reflect where change needs to happen in your life. Try to be as honest as possible and implement some small changes to start with, at least get the ball rolling in your favor. Do not wait until things are so out of control that they can no longer be contained. If there are issues in your marriage - talk it over with your spouse before you run off and risk everything. If there are issues in your family, try to clear the air before closing the door forever. If your job is causing you angst, begin to look for a new one. We need to be proactive. We need to read the signs. I have coined the following analogy: the universe gives you three signs - the first is a whisper, the second a tap and the third a bat. The bat is always dramatic, intense and outrageous. Which one of the signs have come your way lately? Its always good to make changes when its still a whisper or a tap because at this stage you can still control the outcome. But when the bat enters the scene you can bet fate is in control.
Change is the means through which the universe uses to get us out of a rut, helps us to expand, and to bring more good into our lives. Most often, we overlook the problem, cling to the problem, defend the problem, hide the problem, act out the problem and justify the problem. When we do this we are not solving the problem or issue, in fact we're making it worse. If something in your life is not working, why not look at it? If something feels off, why not explore it? If something doesn't look right, why not investigate it? Change is an invitation to leave one life behind for a new one that is yet to begin. Will you choose to remain in your comfort zone or will you open your arms and embrace the MORE that's waiting for you? Will you at least meet it half way? How willing are you? Do not wait until a crisis comes for a visit because crisis favors the unwilling not the willing.