Wearing The Inside Out: Value Change by Joshua Garrin ⋆ The Teen Mentor™

“Change isn’t just a ‘constant’. It’s the ‘content’ that writes the ‘story’ of our lives.”

Whether we’re simply striving or thoroughly thriving, there’s one fact of life that we cannot ignore: We must make choices. For example, hide…or seek? Flee…or fight? Avoid…or invite? Depending upon which choice we make, our fear of challenge can dramatically influence our willingness to approach the obstacles and pitfalls that emerge along our life path. And why? Because our decision to face challenge requires adaptation. And adaptation requires change.

And if you’re anything like me, adapting to change means embracing our flaws, our imperfections, and our humanness — that is, our tendency to trip, stumble, and face-plant all the way across the finish line. For many of us, the mere thought of a momentarily unsuccessful adaptation to change (otherwise known as a failure) can cause us to shudder in self-inflicted shame. It can cause us to double over in self-doubt. It can badly bruise our fragile egos, to such an extent that our motivational mojo disappears like it’s January 3rd in the gym.

When change comes a knockin’, it often kicks us (hard) out of the warm, safe confines of our comfort zone. Like a security blanket, we hold on to our precious routines and well-worn habits for dear life, fearful that letting go will cause discomfort and require us to (gasp) adapt. Stagnant and stale, lounging in ‘the zone’ for too long can cause us to become stuck in old ways of thinking, feeling, and doing that no longer serve our needs…or, perhaps never did.

Yes, change means letting go of things that have already let go of us.

Hear this: Change is good…for the mind, the body, and the soul. It stimulates creativity. It ignites brilliance. It forces us to think, feel, and do things that we’ve never thought, felt, or did before. It inspires us to try harder, emboldens us to reach further, and elevates us ever higher toward our potential. Change is an effective teacher, an inspirational mentor, and a powerful energy source — a force that paves our path to happiness and self-fulfillment…despite the bumps and bruises that we acquire throughout the journey.

Change is the little voice that says, “Ready or not, here I come! And don’t worry — you’ll be just fine.”

When we open ourselves up to the power and beauty of change, it can clear our lens. It can expand our worldview. And lookout — it can even enhance our vocabulary. When we embrace our fabulous flaws, we can stop using the f word (*failure*). When we accept our endearing defects, we can finally delete the p word (*perfect*). And eventually, we realize that we’ve been misusing and abusing the word mistake because, in the end, every mistake we make is just another empowering twist in the spiral of change…and another turn toward the best version of ourselves.

Change is what forms the words…that create the verses…that fill the pages…that piece together the bold, beautiful chapters of our life story. So, channel your inner risk taker. Because change is a risk worth taking.

About the Author: Joshua GARRIN is one of Your Monthly Mentors. He holds a Ph.D. in health psychology, an M.S. in cognitive psychology, and a B.S. in general psychology and journalism. He currently resides in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Following the completion of his doctorate in 2014, Joshua was the recipient of Walden University’s Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research for his inquiry on health beliefs, outcome expectancies, and stress appraisal in college seniors. Read More…