Changing Perspectives
Well we (my husband, our cats, Jack and Sydney, and myself) have moved!
We bought a house next door to the house we were renting. We only moved 30 feet this year compared to 1500 miles last year.
The question, I’ve frequently been asked is,
“Was this short move easier or harder than the big move you made from Connecticut to Arkansas last year?”
My answer, “Moving is an incredibly complex process of change.”
I thought that since this was a conscious choice of deliberate change, it would be simpler and less overwhelming. Our move provided me with an opportunity for growth and insight.
Reflecting on the move, I view the process of change as having 5 stages:
- The Idea stage
- The Research and Planning stage
- The Action stage
- The Adjustment or Re-evaluation stage
- The Integration or Maintenance stage
I loved the idea stage with all the visioning and imagining. Once we had selected this house, I enjoyed arranging furniture on floor plans.
I enjoyed researching houses on line and planning the move in stages.
First, we moved the household basics over, the beds, table, sofa, bathroom and kitchen. This was great! The house was open and uncluttered, easy to clean. We even rearranged the functions of the rooms.
The largest bedroom became my office and the garage was converted to a media room for my husband.
The Action Stage
Ongoing actions of setting up each room became more difficult. Many decisions had to be made for each item. Do I want or need this? Where shall I put it? How to move it?
Dealing with the items that had been stored in the garage for a year was very difficult.
The move involved a lot of physical energy, an area that is not my strength. I started to feel overwhelmed and began thinking “I should…”
Shift In Thinking
Once I noticed that I was thinking “I should,” I stopped acting and started to write in my journal. I started writing my thoughts.
I should … became
I would like to…then
I think I would like to… then
I want to…then
I think I want to… then
I choose to….
When I got down to “I choose to”, I felt calmer and more peaceful. Then I was able to re-evaluate my actions. And I feel inspired to create a new vision board to activate desired lifestyle changes.
I would love to hear your experiences with changes. Where do you feel stuck? Where were you successful? Use the comments box below to share your thoughts.
Revealed: 