Stay the course
Image by Abhisek Sarda
That big decision you made? Stick with it. It takes time for everyone to settle in, to adapt, to understand the new contours of this unfolding change.
The emotional highs and particularly the lows are part of the movement of this “new thing.” The stiff unfamiliarity is temporary—like shoes that need to be worn so the leather straps soften, and the soles mold to your particular feet.
Sometimes there are blisters and sore toes along the way, but eventually, the fit becomes “right.”
In the meantime, while everyone gets familiar with the new reality, stay the course.
The tone of your home is set by you—I know how challenging that is. It’s all on you—the mood, the energetic field you create—your family looks to you to know if they should worry or trust, if they can be freely happy or ought to be careworn and subdued.
It’s exhausting to lead with joy and alacrity; self-doubt is the most natural part of the breaking-in process during the “new thing transition.” While you lead, you also monitor (you can’t help it!). The undulating emotions are feedback that can at once validate your decision, and then a day later, shoot it in the heart.
Beware: wait 48 hours before making adjustments. Allow the waves of happy and sad to subside before evaluating each aspect of the new thing. Sometimes emotion is vented and over.
Give the new thing a real chance—to become a way of life, not just a “test run.” Invest. Believe.
You can tweak—make it your own, do it your way, adapt it to your particular situation. But don’t give up too easily. Trust that your hunch was a good one and live into it.
Stay the course… a little while longer, and see what happens.
Cross-posted on facebook.
