Embracing Change

Posted 9 months, 1 week ago at 3:00 pm. 0 comments

For most people, “change” is regarded as one of those seven dirty words you can’t say on TV. Why? Because change can be a really terrifying ordeal to work through! Who wants to change when everything can stay the same it is now? Why should we even bother with improving our lives? Of course, these two questions are for each person to decide for his- or herself. As for me, I’ve always regarded change as something vital for my life. Change is definitely something I look forward to!

Change can either be gradual or sudden. Gradual change would be along the lines of starting an exercise program and carrying it out for six months. You would see a few immediate results from your workouts, but the fruit of your labor would come later on down the line. Other examples of gradual change would be learning an unfamiliar musical instrument, writing a romance novel, or reading five books on your favorite subject.

People are usually accepting of gradual change. Why? Because it’s controllable! Using our above example, you can totally decide if you want to hit the gym or not. (And, well, for most people, the decision is obvious!) When you have a degree of control over something - anything - if change happens, it’s suddenly not so bad. You can always revert back to how you were at the drop of a hat, and nothing would be too different than how you started.

Sudden change, however, is what drives people mad. Sudden change is - you guessed it! - sudden changes in your life that normally involves circumstances out of your control. If the sudden change is in your control, it usually involves an incredible lifestyle switch. Examples of sudden change would be divorce, a death of a close friend or family member, or relocating to a new city. Sudden change is heavily characterized by sweeping emotions, new role learning, and total life adjustment to new circumstances.

Sudden change is scary! No wonder most people don’t like change! If you had to deal with the aforementioned changes every single day, life would become unbearable. It’s for this reason that people outright reject all change to their lives, instead wishing “everything would always stay the same”. To them, change is the epitome of death to themselves. If their world changed, they themselves would change, and to change themselves would mean to change their life. That’s something these people don’t want to do, at all costs.

But is rejecting gradual and sudden changes really a way to live? To me, that’s the #1 way to completely stall out your life. Myself, I believe change = growth. A life changing experience - which can be anything from the birth of a son or daughter to becoming more healthy to learning a foreign language - is something that can promotes growth as an individual. It makes life richer, more rewarding. Constantly tackling changes in your life head on can make life an incredibly fascinating experience.

Without change, there can’t be any growth. If everything constantly stayed the same, your life would literally stagnate. Your earthly existence wouldn’t get any worse, of course, but it wouldn’t get any better either. And that’s okay! Some people choose to keep the same job for 40 years. It’s their choice. Some people don’t move out of the area where they grew up; some people keep the same friends they’ve had since high school or college; some people hold on to their childhood values for dear life as they grow older. That’s fine - you are completely entitled to do that.

But can you really grow if you stay in the same area, hold onto the same values, and keep the same job you have? You can, to an extent. There’s some wiggle room in there for improvement, and you can definitely learn a new thing or two. But you can never experience real growth if you don’t bash through your comfort zone and change your life completely every once in a while.

Shake things up! Read a new book on an obscure subject. Travel to a place you’ve always wanted to explore. Write that country song you’re itching to get out of your brain. Start up a blog on your favorite subject. Join a brand new religion for the thrill of learning how it functions. Do something that changes your life.

It’s up to you to embrace a life of constant change, excitement, and thrills. What’s your decision?

5 Easy Ways to Fake Your Personality

Posted 9 months, 2 weeks ago at 2:30 pm. 3 comments

Wouldn’t it be so amazing if you could fake your personality and be instantly liked by anybody, anytime? Of course it would! Who wouldn’t want to have a charming personality 24/7 - that kind of thing would come in handy in life! But being a bit more realistic, sometimes we are forced to go into situations where having a better personality would immensely pay off. Sometimes we need to add a little smoke and mirrors to make ourselves appear great, even if we don’t feel that way.

There are five easy, simple ways to fake your personality:

1. Dress comfortably for you.
2. Be prepped and prepared for what you’re going into.
3. Smile!
4. Pretend you are interested and observant to everybody.
5. Look fully relaxed and at ease with yourself.

And now, getting into greater detail:

1. Dress comfortably for you.

Forget about “dressing for success”! Most people feel uncomfortable when they step up their wardrobe, because dressing to the nines feels unnatural to them. And if dressing up feels unnatural to you, you’re not going to be comfortable and at ease with yourself - no matter how hard you try. The best advice is to dress slightly above what you consider “normal”, but not so decked out that you feel out of your league. You should look fabulous, of course, but not like you are about to walk down the red carpet. Dressing up comfortably can naturally make you feel a step above the rest - and if you feel great about yourself, your personality will shine!

2. Be prepped and prepared for what you are going into.

You may be all smiles and have this totally fake, charismatic air going on, but that house of cards is going to collapse if you don’t have a clue how to talk the talk. If you’re going to a party, research a bit on the guests and what their interests are, for the purpose of small talk. If you’re going to join a club, find out all you can about the organization’s topic. If you’re giving a presentation, learn all you can about the subject and go all out! Present yourself as an expert, and people will think you are amazingly witty and knowledgeable!

3. Smile!

This one should be obvious, but a lot of people don’t smile. How many times have you ever walked in any store - say, the supermarket - and said to yourself “Wow, everybody looks so… sad today…”? When you smile yourself, you automatically boost up your mood (try it right now!) And smiles are contagious, as well - we all know when one person starts smiling, we all start smiling, even if we have no idea what that one person is smiling about. We automatically think of smiling, carefree people as having bubbly, effervescent personalities; on the opposite hand, we also automatically think of frowning, sad people as having sullen, upset personalities. Turn that frown upside down, and fake that smile!

4. Pretend you are interested and observant to everybody.

Not interested in what somebody is telling you? Fake it all the way. Nod your head when they say something that sounds profound, open up your eyes as if you’re thinking “Wow, that’s so fascinating!”, and use hand motions when it’s your turn to talk. People with personality are naturally interested in what everybody else is doing, thinking, and saying. If you want to fake having the personality of a social butterfly, you have to be able to give the impression that you actually care what’s going on around you. Other people love to blather on about their lives, hobbies, whatever, even if it’s the most boring topic on Earth. Look interested in what everybody else is saying, and you’ll appear to have a wonderful personality!

5. Look fully relaxed and at ease with yourself.

People who are the most affable are people who constantly look fully relaxed and at ease with themselves. No matter how many people they talk to in a given day, socializing appears to be a natural part of them. If you want to fake having a great personality, you must make your movements, your voice, and your movements seem very natural and fluid, not choppy, and mechanical. Nothing says “fake personality!” more than having the social grace of a robot. This tip might take some practice, but it’ll pay off in the long run.

So what are you waiting for? Start faking your golden personality today!