Podcast: The Courage to Change

Brave Writer Podcast

So many of you asked to hear my talk from the Wild+Free conference that I recorded it for the podcast! Here it is, as close to what I shared there as possible. “The Courage to Change”—exactly what we all need as we face this uncertain future. I’m here for it, and here for you.  xo Julie

It takes courage to change. The moment we make changes in our lives, we feel uncomfortable—maybe even afraid—about how those changes will impact our relationships. Certainty and predictability are comforting, even when that certainty can be a dreaded rush hour commute to work. Yet on the other side of change, we often feel relief.

Here’s what’s amazing about change: Not only do we have a right to change our minds, but we can change our attitudes and desires, too.

When we make changes in our lives, however, the people in our lives have to adapt to our changes too. That can cause disruption in the relationship. That’s what we’re going to talk about today on the Brave Writer podcast.

Show Notes

Whenever we make a decision that’s in alignment with our values, it may compete with the values or beliefs of others. As a result, we may wind up in conflict—often assuming the other person is wrong to question us. For some reason, each of believes that our beliefs deserve to be the right ones in the room. Even within relatively homogenous or like-minded groups, it’s difficult to get everyone on the same page. Disagreements crop up!

When we talk about the courage to think for ourselves or to change our minds, what we’re really asking is: how welcome is dissent, here, in this group?

Dissent is like chlorine in the pool. It purifies a strong ideological space. Dissent makes us reevaluate the sources of authority that we’ve relied on but perhaps haven’t evaluated critically.

When your child pushes back on a rule you have or an activity you planned, you could put your foot down and say, “Well, this is what we do and you’re going to do it!” But we want to raise independent thinkers—right? That includes thinking independently of people within the family unit.

  • Go down the rabbit hole with your child every now and then.
  • Get behind their dissenting voice.
  • See what it offers that has been overlooked.

By acknowledging dissent, we can use it as an opportunity to change, no matter how uncomfortable that might be.

If you’re looking to create a family of independent thinkers, who can stand on their own, and who have the courage to stand in the face of pressure, you have to begin at home. Look at dissent as an opportunity for critical thinking. Having the courage to change your mind means you get to change yours too.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

This entry is filed under Podcasts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.