WE'RE ALL GOING THROUGH THE CHANGE

A leopard can change its spots!

As I watched the Democratic National Convention on Thursday evening, all the speeches were mindboggling, but one was the icing on the cake. Adam Kinzinger’s words and bravery were beyond anything I ever anticipated hearing. He even admitted that he never thought he'd be there.

“The times they are a changin’,” Mr. Dylan!

In case you aren’t familiar, Adam is a staunch Conservative Republican who chose to not side with the former president regarding the January 6^th insurrection. He was one of two Republicans who participated in the committee to investigate Trump’s actions.

Speaking truth to power was game-changingly courageous, especially since he ended up losing his House seat.

During his talk at the DNC, he explained why he was choosing to support Kamala Harris: “…to defend democracy and decency.” He urged others to do the same, no minus any chump change.

He went on to encourage doing the right thing. Not sticking with a side that has, “… switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose, to a man whose only purpose is himself. The soul of being conservative is defending the vulnerable, protecting your family, standing up for the Constitution and our Democracy. Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party. His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values.”

His speech ended even more powerfully: “…some have questioned why I have taken the stand I have. The answer is really simple: We must put country first!”

How many of us would do that?

Would you change your political allegiance when your side is doing things you don’t agree with, morally or ethically? And then announce it to the world?

Would you cheer for “the other” team if they did something amazing? Or applaud for the antagonist doing a fabulous acting job?

Or make a foundational change in how you are living your life?

Change is Challenging

In the decades I’ve been teaching Perfect Life Awakening, I’ve noticed that some people are able to change readily, while others battle with it.

My outspoken mother tried to change my incredibly quiet father every single day in every single way for sixty-five years of their marriage. I watched her frustration and heard her mumble under her breath that people never change.

As one who arrived wanting to understand, I began asking at a young age, Why is that?

Perhaps you’ve tried to break old habits or addictions, shift careers, leave a relationship, move to a different town. Were you able to feel positive and trusting while making big changes? Was it stressful even if the changes were positive and beneficial? Did you worry about what might happen? Or not happen?

The more I work with others trying to transform from within, the more I observe how terrifying change is to most. Of all the things that scare people, fear of change holds the top position. It’s probably running your life subconsciously.

Years ago in meditation, I received a ‘vision’ that threw some light on the fear syndrome. I was shown that humans have six primary fears, remarkably all starting with the letter C.

Fear of change is the Biggy, and it impacts the other five -- fear of commitment, fear of communication, fear of completion, fear of confrontation, fear of connection.

We may claim we want to change, go through the motions, but when it gets close, fear gets churned up and we do anything to sabotage those changes. We stop doing the inner work. Drop out of class. Make up excuses to not take action. Get bored, too busy, too tired. Even blame the teacher, ahem.

Fear of change symbolizes death to your survival-consciousness. And death is the ultimate change. That fear gets radically triggered when things happen to force a change. One you believe you didn’t sign up for.

Can People Change, Really?

There’s an ongoing debate among psychologists as to whether someone’s personality can change. Most see personality as fixed, set in stone.

I have a different opinion based on my own experiences, as well as witnessing my students making tremendous changes. Thoughts, feelings and behaviors do change as you go through life, especially from doing inner work that shifts your perceptions of yourself and others.

Profound spiritual experiences and/or traumatic events are the biggest shifters in ways that are needed to awaken you.

Is Not Changing Staying “Stable?”

To many, being able to easily change implies ‘instability.’  

To me it means being willing to trust your journey, go with the flow of where life leads; to not feel the need to stick with the status quo; to be open to a life of joyous, playfulness. It means not feeling the need to blend in with the crowd, lose authenticity.

Simultaneously it means staying committed to what’s important, meaningful, purposeful. Not giving fear the upper hand.

Based on Mr. Kinzinger, it means not lingering in a political persuasion when it no longer fits your values.

Needless to say, the more you resolve your fear of death, the less resistance you will feel when making changes.

The more secure you are in who you really are – a spirit inhabiting a body – the easier it is to change.

Because life is change. All. The. Time.

Fear of Change from Within

It may look like fear of change is from something external – like not being able to change jobs due to financial constraints; being powerless to move to a different home when the cost is prohibitive; not leaving a relationship due to the children.

But really, external influences are often used as excuses to cover up that pesky fear of change.

So, ask yourself and tell the truth: Is fear of change the real reason I’m not doing something I know I need to do? Or is there something wise or intuitive holding me back?

Then, think about Adam Kinzinger and his bold choice to change everything in his life by listening to his values. And his daring willingness to share it with the world in one brilliant speech.

You’ve Already Chosen

It might be scary to step into a life of “unpredictability,” but on a Higher Consciousness level, you’ve already made your choices and are simply awakening to them.

However, you must take action to follow them. Knowing you will be supported by the universe helps, that is, if your choice is from a pure, non-ego attached place.

IMHO, it’s scarier trying to stay the same. Never attempting to reinvent yourself. Living the same routines. Never deviating from the norm or your leaving your comfy place. Eating the same thing every single day for breakfast.

It might appear those choices are safer, but are they really? Others might see you as consistent and reliable, but what will be dying inside of you? How will it feel on your deathbed to know you took the safe route? How sad to live a life of sameness.

Balance

It’s up to you to know when you’re buying into fear and letting it manage you, control you, keep you stuck. Fear of change dictates what you should believe based on what happened in the past. It knows nothing about the future.

How To Do That?

Discover deeply about yourself and neutralize the fears that are subconsciously running your life. That will allow you to make conscious choices about what, when and how to make changes.

Inner work creates internal shifts that awaken your wise inner knowing so you trust when you need to make changes.

And believe that your intuition will never lead you astray, because it won’t.

Thank you, Adam, for inspiring many to question where their choices are coming from and what is important to value in the world right now. His words may forever change what we know about ourselves and others.

And, as Kamala says: “We are not going back!”

In fact, we can’t.