Chocolate covered ants and change

Depending on how you look at it, change is like choloate covered ants or ants with a chocolate centre.

Chocolate covered ants: The chocolate coating is great but then you get to the ant centre! Its good at the start but as things develop you realise that the change might not be all you hoped for.

Ants with a chocolate centre: The outside is yuck but the chocolate centre is good. Maybe you hate change initially but later can see some benefits

I'm the latter of the two and things are changing dramatically in our lives at the moment. But I've been thinking about: what to do when in the middle of change. A Christian (Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971) wrote a great prayer about change, 

God, give us grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other!

I think we each have a choice about the situation we are in. We have the choice to accept the change and embrace it or reject what it happening and try to redirect our lives.

We all have a choice, it is up to us as to whether where we are is something we believe is good or whether it is wrong and whether we need to stop and change. 

What changes are you involved in at the moment?

In all the current changes the following things have been helpful for me. Maybe they might be useful to you?

• Recognise change is happening - Acknowledge your feelings and emotions. For me acknowledge that there conflicting emotions: Pain at leaving friends, but excitement at a new adventure.
• Choose how you are going to think - For me think positively about the things I can't change and make a plan for the things I can.
• Pick some goals or actions that you can guide you through the change - I have written out my goals and my plans to meet them. It has helped me decide how to make the change happen and to also to recognise my successes! 
• Find ways to relax - to take your thoughts away from going over it too many times.