Effective Re-calibrating To Navigate Change
By: Sheri Levenstein Conaway
Tags: Healing, Personal Growth, Ripples, Change, Responsibility

Taking Responsibility for Change

Photo courtesy of James Buck via Flikr

Change is inevitable, and if 2020 taught you nothing else, it taught you to expect the unexpected, and to be ready, willing, and able to switch gears when something in your life either stopped working, or caused more problems than it was worth. The more successful you are at re-calibrating when a system, process, or expectation no longer yields the desired results, the easier it will be for you to navigate the continuing onslaught of change, not only in your own world, but globally.

Every day, I hear or see someone talking about how awful 2020 has been, but in most cases, there’s something wonderful that either change or opportunity has yielded in their world. If you ask me, there’s excessive focus on the “have nots” and not enough credit given to how everyone has managed to adapt.

Sure, there are businesses that have had to close their doors, and people who could stand a little more help from a government that, if you ask me, has it’s head lodged too far up the butts of the rich and powerful most of the time to pay the attention they should to our society’s most vulnerable. But what else is new?

People Helping People

What I do find gratifying is how many have taken it upon themselves to take up the fight for those who lack the resources, or a loud enough voice to speak on their own behalf. When basic needs like food and shelter aren’t being met, it’s hard to care enough about containing COVID by staying away from other people. Helping meet those basic needs is the only priority for many who truly understand that unless the vulnerable get help, nothing will change.

They’ll keep going out to work as much as they can, wherever work is available, and you’ll continue to see outbreaks. They’ll gather together because, let’s face it, it’s cheaper to put 15 people in a 1200 square foot house, and pool their meager earnings to pay for food and heat.

Social consciousness is gaining momentum, though not fast enough to sway the hearts and minds of people who could truly make a difference. While the selfish and entitled fight for more pieces of a dwindling pie, suicides are up, businesses are closing, and people are turning their anger towards anything and everyone they’re encouraged to blame. But it’s all illusion; smoke and mirrors hiding the true culprits.

Blaming and Complaining Undermine Change

Still, railing about the ineffectualness of others is no better than blaming the innocent. Instead of complaining or only seeing the dark side, there’s a unique opportunity to do some re-calibrating of your own and change the story, not only for yourself, but for the people in your own community. The ripples you cause will travel further than you might think. Helping one person can, and will affect many more.

Effecting change, contrary to popular opinion, needn’t involve huge outpourings of time, effort, or money. The smallest ripple will create larger ones which join forces with tiny efforts from people all around you. Sometimes, you simply need to be the ripple that begins the process; encourages others to start their own tiny ripples. Essentially, all you need to do right now is find your purpose in the grander scheme, and start honoring it.

A few months ago, I began writing a daily gratitude post on Facebook, followed by a (hopefully) inspirational video. At first, I noticed only a few friends reading or viewing either or both. Slowly, momentum increased, and quite often, those posts and videos are getting a remarkable amount of attention Better than the attention are the comments I’ve received from people who want me to know they appreciate my efforts to spread positivity by sharing something uplifting, or at least letting them know they’re not struggling alone.

Creating Ripples

Those tiny ripples I started creating months ago are spreading. Maybe not like wildfire, and perhaps only to a select audience right now, but as the audience grows, I’m hoping more people will be inspired to start their own ripples. My point is, I’m not making a large expenditure of time, effort, or money, yet I am impacting enough people who, themselves can and will start a small movement of their own, inspiring and motivating others.

Some may be more inclined to take action on a grander scale, and they’ll be the ones to affect larger, more immediate change. I’ll probably never know how far my small contributions reach, and that’s OK. I don’t do it for recognition, but as my small contribution to a better, kinder, more compassionate world. Knowing a number of people are finding value in my posts, and maybe inspiration to follow their own purpose is more than enough for me.

Every single person is an instrument of change. Many don’t realize it, or lack the confidence to stand up and speak their mind. Virtual communication makes that easier for some. It certainly kicked my communication into high gear over the last few years. As time went on, and I got a little positive feedback, I grew bolder. I wrote more often and, with fewer filters. I started doing videos. I learned to allow people to disagree without taking it personally, as long as they did it respectfully. In the process, my tolerance for unkindness, whether I agreed with the message or not grew smaller.

Changing for the Better, One Person at a Time

The funny thing about change is when you set out to help change the world, you change yourself as well, and vice versa. Becoming part of the change means learning and growing yourself; evolving into the person you were meant to be. You might have gotten caught in the weeds for awhile, believing you weren’t strong enough, or eloquent enough, or influential enough. But if you take those first stumbling steps, you soon discover all the stories you’ve been told, or told yourself are, if not lies, changeable. Nothing is set in stone, but sometimes, you have to be willing to break a few walls in order to get to where you need to go.

Walls don’t always come down easily or willingly. Some of them hurt like hell when they start to crumble. But when you see the rubble scattered around your feet, and feel the restrictions you believed to be permanent begin to release and retract, the relief of that oppressive weight ultimately outpaces, and soothes the pain until your wings dry, and you’re ready to soar with the rest of the butterflies.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author.

Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of “ Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.