Beech Tree News Network

This is the time of year when people are committed to making improvements. Although many want to improve in some particular area, changing can be a challenge. As Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. said, “Adopting new ways rarely comes comfortably at first” (http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/03/02/can-people-really-change/). 

Many have expressed their feelings about change. A few of those quotes are included below (ww.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/personal-change; http://exploreforayear.com/clarity/45-inspiring-quotes-change):
•    The mind is reluctant to embrace deep change, and will play devious games to maintain the status quo. – Kristin Linklater, Freeing the Natural Voice
•    We are chained by our own control. – Shannon L. Alder
•    We all have blind spots – those areas for improvement and growth. As painful as it can be to admit we’re doing things we never wanted to do and saying things we never wanted to say, it is this acknowledgement that enables us to take the first step toward change. Be gentle with yourself. Be real with yourself. Take baby steps. – Rhonda Louise Robbins
•    Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. – Jim Rohn
•    Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again. – Bikram Choudhury
•    Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow. – Mary Anne Radmacher

I asked friends and family the following question: “If you had the ability to change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?” Their responses are below:
•    I would change the fact that I’m a worrier. I worry about things that are out of my control, and sometimes I worry about things that could potentially happen, but that might not necessarily happen at all!
•     Quit smoking and lose weight to be more healthy.
•    My unwillingness to change. God has seen me through many changes in my life, and I’m sure there will be many more; but, I don’t necessarily like change and don’t accept change easily.
•    My feeling that I have to fix whatever is wrong or a problem in family members’ lives. It wears me down, stresses me out and causes wrinkles and gray hair.
•    Wish I knew how to do everything.
•    Wish I were a kinder, gentler person. I think the ‘why’ would be obvious. My patience also seems to be shrinking in some areas, and I have to work at not looking back.
•    It would be my tendency towards an acerbic wit because it is not always recognized as humorous to others.
•    I would not have a life-long struggle with my weight.
•    Only one? If I could change only one thing about myself (except for my weight!), I guess it would be to do the things that I intend to do. I say that I’m the queen of good intentions. If I did half of the things that I intend to do, I would be a much more effective witness for Christ.
•    I would like to be able to always see the good in every situation and person. It is a trait I always admired in my grandmother and my aunt by marriage.
•    My weight for my health.
•    I think I would like to have a better handle on my emotions: the ability to stay calm and think through situations before opening my mouth.
•    My weight. To be healthier.
•    My age; but, other than that, I’m perfect.
•    My metabolism – speed it up!
•    Wealthy enough to indulge, but wise enough to know what not to….
•    Age. I would be younger. My body gets older, but I still think I’m young.
•    I would change the fact that I am an anxious person and worry too much.
•    I would change the fact that I feel responsible to fix things for other people. As I approach retirement, my perspective is changing and it will soon be my time. I’ve always tried to do what people expect. Why change? Because with this fix-it perspective, I always seem to end up on the short end of the stick.
•    If I could change one thing about myself, it would be my body size. I’d love to be one of those skinny people who can eat anything and never gain a pound.
•    I would take nutrition seriously on a daily basis, using food as fuel for good health. The days of binge eating would no longer be a problem.
•    My attitude tends to be on the negative and pessimistic side! It’s just the way my brain works. I wish I could change. I think I would be happier and my outcomes would be better!

As Linda Sapadin pointed out in her quote above, change is not always a comfortable process – even when it’s for the best. And, much like Mary Anne Radmacher’s comment, “…I’ll try again tomorrow,” my late husband used to say, “I’ll do better.” His words have become my objective: I’d just like to do better.