If you are one decision away from a great life, you are lucky because some people never get there. Here is why you should not be scared of change.
I am not scared of change. I quit being a full-time employee in 2022, and that was a big leap. Can you do that? I am not asking you to do it. Just asking.
I made lotsss of changes in my life over the years. Some resulted in heartaches and disappointments, but they didn’t end badly. Things got better eventually.
Are you scared of change? Here are reasons why you should not be afraid:
- The people you disappoint will move on.
- If they hate you for disappointing them, do you want to be with people who want to control you?
- You should be more scared of getting stuck in a life you don’t want.
- Better things are on the other side of fear.
- You will not be scared anymore once you reach the other side of fear.
Let’s begin.
Scared of Change? 5 Reasons Why You Should Not Be Afraid
Quitting the full-time setup was life-changing. My finances have been affected for the most part, but I have no regrets. It was a sigh of relief.
Once you become an independent professional, your horizon will broaden. You don’t feel constrained. You create your destiny.
It is different when you have full control over your life. You don’t depend on others. You don’t wait for anyone because you make things happen. That is power.
If you asked my past self if I would dare to take the leap and go on this professional adventure solo, I would firmly say no. I would be scared.
I disliked getting out of my comfort zone many years ago, and I hated it whenever people said that I should leave my comfort zone.
According to Lifehack, leaving your comfort zone will expose you to failure but if you learn from it instead of weep over it, you will become better and stronger and you may even inspire other people!
But I realized that if I stayed where I was, I would not reach new places, meet new people, and be who I was dreaming to be, even though I didn’t who that was.
You should be content to be happy, but if your life is going nowhere and you don’t feel good about it, it may be time to make a change.
I have a question: Do you love your life or are you pretending to?
I know that going after the things we love is not always a good thing. We need to be realistic to survive in the real world: We need to work jobs we don’t like.
But if there is something you want to achieve and it requires change, and you are willing to face the consequences, why not try it out?
You shouldn’t be scared of change. Why? Read on!
1. The people you disappoint will move on.
I have been freelancing since December of 2019, and I quit many freelance clients along the way. And I want to take that as an example.
When I told some freelance clients that I wouldn’t work with them anymore, I was scared. I was thinking they might hate me or something.
I didn’t want to disappoint them because that is who I am: I don’t want to disappoint people as much as possible.
If you don’t want to disappoint people, you are a people pleaser. BetterUp has tips on how to overcome your fear of disappointing others, if that is you.
However, I also didn’t want to make myself feel bad. After all, I was just a tool that they needed to make their jobs easier.
Many months or years (depending on the client) have passed, and all is going well. I have moved on. They have also moved on and found a replacement.
I also found a replacement for them. Change happens frequently when you are a freelancer. Clients can quit anytime, and you can quit anytime.
The point is, don’t do something against your will to make others comfortable. They don’t care about you, but what you can do for them.
So, if you want to quit your job but can’t do it because you don’t want your colleagues to hate you, they will move on once you are replaced.
2. If they hate you for disappointing them, do you want to be with people who want to control you?
If the people you disappointed are your friends, and they can’t accept what you have done, two things: If you did something bad and unlawful, understandable.
But if you did it to improve your life, it is unreasonable.
It is good to have many friends. But if you can’t be who you are around them, that is not any better than having just one true friend who supports you, has your back, and lets you make mistakes from which you can learn.
Anyone can also learn by observing the people around them. Psychology Today says learning from other people’s experiences is social learning.
Some people befriend people who can help them get to where they want to be, have the thing that they want to have, make them feel secure because they feel superior around them, or other self-interested reasons.
It is better to cut those friends off.
It is not easy to find a friend you can be comfortable with because they accept you for who you are, flaws and all.
If you found even just one, that would be helpful for your emotional health. You can talk to them about everything without judgment.
3. You should be more scared of getting stuck in a life you don’t want.
Scared of change? Be more scared of getting stuck in a life you don’t want.
You feel like you are just trying to survive. There is no good reason why you are still alive. You become emotionally thirsty. Ahhh!
A lot of people think that getting rich must be the ultimate goal, which is fine.
But once you get there alone, you will realize that being financially capable and comfortable is enough, and then you will wish for someone who will connect with you on an emotional level.
According to PsychCentral, all people need emotional connection.
Wealth makes us happy because we can get whatever we want, but not those that will give us emotional satisfaction, which is the key to lasting happiness.
Once you reach that point where you feel so empty regardless of the material success that you have, you will want to give up all of that to be with that person who can satisfy you emotionally, and more.
If you are one decision away from getting that kind of emotional experience, you are lucky because some people never get there.
4. Better things are on the other side of fear.
Better things are on the other side of fear. Why? Once you overcome that fear, it will not bother you anymore, so you will feel light.
I can’t think of any other example apart from confession because that is one of the things that many people are scared of doing.
I know how it feels to bottle up feelings. You can’t breathe properly because your heart is so heavy. Even a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s can’t lift it!
If you want Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body, which I find scary, Muscle and Fitness shares an ultimate training guide to achieve it.
If you have deep feelings for someone, let those out and confess. You are worried they don’t like you, and that is possible. But it is also possible that they like you.
Maybe try to change how you look at it. Confess because you want to breathe properly and not because you want to be loved in return.
When I confessed to my college crush, I did it so that I could finally live an easy life because I let go of that one thing that was making my life heavy.
It wasn’t because I wanted to be liked in return.
Anything unsaid becomes a burden. The only person who can take that burden off your shoulders is you. Go!
5. You will not be scared anymore once you reach the other side of fear.
If you want to know the explanation for this, do whatever you are scared of doing. The explanation is on the other side of fear.
Last Words
You might be scared of change because you overthink things. Try to let go of your expectations and just go with the flow of events.
One thing that prevents people from moving forward is their worries: What if it didn’t work out? What if it turned out to be a terrible idea?
Yes, it might not work out, and it might turn out to be a terrible idea. But you can make it work if you look for solutions to issues you encounter.
Are you scared of change?
If you enjoyed reading why you shouldn’t be scared of change, here is a video of me talking about the changes I made in my life:
