The joy of change

A story of managing change, finding freedom in new places and spicing up Saturday afternoons

I look forward to going there and I LOVE the feeling of having been there. And once I’ve been, I feel lighter.

Preparing for this event to take place involves a mass of little decisions and some truly massive ones. There’s also a lot of physical to-ing and fro-ing, so mentally and physically it can be draining.

What is this magical activity? 

It’s the joy of going to the recycling point.

I moved a few months ago and last weekend I finally passed the finishing line.

No more boxes, no more stuff lurking in corners, no more piles of I-totally-forgot-that, why-on-earth-did-I-ever-buy-this, and it’s-been-forever-and-the tangerine-coloured-feather-boa-is-really-really-never-going-to-come-back-into-fashion.

Every room has been done.

So, how did I get started?

Looking at my belongings and deciding what to do with them. 

If it wasn’t of use, made my life easier, or made me smile, it had to go (apart from Christmas deccies which is a different matter. I’m convinced they actually breed in the box year upon year. But that’s another article).

And so, on more than a few recent Saturday afternoons I was at my happiest when my husband and I would go through this decision making process and then pack the car and take things “to the farm” to be recycled. 

Now that it’s all finally done the space this has opened up in our home, and in my head, is exhilarating. And the fact that this is something happening in January, the start of a shiny, new year, is the icing on the cake. 

Coaching is a lot like this. 

It’s cleaning out stuff that we don’t use or that’s weighing us down. It’s tilting our head and squinching our eyes and really recognising that something isn’t working anymore. 

Change is needed.

The auditing bit is the trickiest and can be emotionally tough. 

Especially if we decide we don’t want a certain behaviour or situation but we’re not sure what to do to change it.

What’s more, deciding we don’t want something is just the beginning. 

Often we’re not sure what we’d like instead of it. We just know that, like a 9 year old never-been used bamboo steamer, in pristine condition, certain things in our lives are redundant. 

The thinking and feeling bit behind all of this takes time. 

It can mean trying out different things and tweaking how we see and respond to them. It can mean developing patience and building resilience. It can mean taking a couple of steps back before galloping forward.

But a clear out’s in order.

And that bumpy bit of the journey? It will pass.

And so, whether you’ve recently moved house, are toying with the idea of coaching or going through a change of your own, I wish you the joy of recycling whatever is weighing you down and of creating and welcoming a change that works for you.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have a walk around my home, and enjoy the sense of space.

*deep, contented sigh*