Change – whether we choose it, or it is thrust upon us – isn’t always pretty. In fact, most of the time it’s messy. It makes us feel vulnerable and ignites all of our defence mechanisms. Because being vulnerable can feel scary.

There is a reason why so many of us fight and resist and try to negotiate ourselves out of change – even if said change is something we actually want for ourselves.

We don’t know what we don’t know when it comes to change. And the not knowing can put us into a paralyzed hypervigilant state.

Because change asks us to change, too, and that feels freaking uncomfortable. We might fight it, even if we’re desperate for it.

The question we have to ask ourselves is: “Am I willing to stop staying ‘someday’ and instead make ‘someday’ TODAY?”

If any of the following signs that change is afoot are happening in your life, there’s a very good chance that change herself is knocking at your door. Are you ready to answer?

1. Multiple areas of your life are on fire – For example, you find out your partner just betrayed you with your bestie. Your childcare person is moving away, and you’re left in a lurch. Your mom is in the hospital, and they don’t know what’s wrong with her. Your refrigerator, or toilet or car has gone kaput. You didn’t get into any of the graduate programs you applied to – not one. Several of your key employees have given their notice and you have to pick up the slack. When it rains, it pours! And… destruction is an essential part of every creation cycle. Sometimes forests need to be burned to the ground so they can be renewed.
2. You can’t fake it anymore – even if you tried – This is that point in time when you’ve surpassed your limit, and you simply cannot pretend everything is okay for one more minute. You may have invested all you had and put all of yourself into the thing you have right now – which you thought was going to be something wonderful – but now you hate it. All you can do is vomit in your mouth about the circumstances of your life. They are killing you, and now you have to decide if you’re going to let it finish you off, or… if you are going to answer the call to change.
3. You’re more certain than ever that what you want can never happen for you – Even if you aren’t looking for it, the evidence is piling up all around you – you’re clearly failing at this life thing. You’re never going to feel better. You’re never going to meet your dream person. You’re never going to have that successful business that you keep pouring yourself into. Not only are things not  going your way, but they probably never will. When that thing you’ve been wanting slips through your fingers (again), you can’t know for certain that the perfect thing for you is just around the next corner… unless you keep walking.
4. You’re surrounded by others who have what you want – Sometimes this sign shows up as a deep gut punch of envy, or judgment. And sometimes you find yourself salivating with aliveness. Maybe you see another woman living what you want. Maybe she’s swooning in the arms of her “capable” lover. Or she’s bouncing out of bed to go for a 5am sunrise hike. Maybe she’s getting ready to retire early because she was super savvy with her finances. Or you’re watching a mom parent her kids in ways you wish you had the energy for. Whatever it is, you see someone else living in alignment with something deep inside of themselves, while you’re still trying to figure out what’s real and true for you…
5. You are a puddle of emotion, and you just don’t know why – Whether you’re watching the Hallmark channel, or working on a project, or you’re having a heart to heart with your bestie, you find yourself reaching for a box of tissues because everything makes you cry. Your emotional self is on volume 10 because she’s trying to tell you something you need to hear, and you’re not sure you want to hear it. If this is you, ask yourself: Am I overriding my inner wisdom? Or trying to numb out to avoid whatever messages are waiting for me? Is fear running my life, or curiosity? Don’t forget that the body never lies. Perhaps your emotions are doing their best to draw you inward…

Do you see yourself in any of the 5 signs above?

Do you sense that something big and deep is on its way to you? If so, what might it be? (If you answered this question with, ‘I don’t know!’, don’t stop there!)

How are you going to nurture yourself during this time of discomfort?

If you’ve been in a similar place in the past, how did you navigate that messy time, right before the big shift finally came?

We all go through times of change, hibernation, suffering, and magic. They are all part of living life. It doesn’t matter so much where you end up, but how you walk the journey.

Change is the only constant you can count on.

Will you fight the change tooth and nail, and abandon your desires along the way? Or will you choose to trust yourself and welcome the unknown?