Adjusting To Change & What It Teaches

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I've never been a big fan of change. I was terrified of the idea of going to high school. My parents decided we were moving to Hervey Bay, and I had to be dragged along kicking & screaming. When high school finished, I cried for a week. I cried for much, much longer when my dog died. Moving to Brisbane to go to University was one of the hardest things I've done. Moving in with The Boyfriend was a huge adjustment (lucky I love him so much), Even when I was miserable there, the idea of dropping out of my University degree filled me with dread - it meant change. But at the same time, there are lots of ways I have wanted my life to change. I've wanted to be better at socialising, to have more friends, to be more involved in my community, to make a career change, to spend more time being creative and mostly, just to live a more magical life.

Moving to Clermont was a terrifying decision for me. The life that The Boyfriend & I had in Brisbane wasn't working, and we were feeling terrible there. But making the decision to change everything took me a long time. Together, we managed to get it into my head that moving so far away was a good change, and that our lives would be much better because of it. It was a chance to start over, to shed all the baggage that had been weighing us down, and to make those changes that I've been wanting for a long time. I was sure that as soon as I got to Clermont that, magically, things would be fabulous straight away. Somehow, everything would be just the way I wanted it immediately. When it didn't work out that way, it made me sad for a while. Part of the reason this blog was idle for so long was that I didn't have any inspiration to post, and spent most of my time bemoaning how inspirational Brisbane was.

Then I realised something. Yes, Brisbane was an incredibly inspirational place to live. But did I ever really take advantage of that? Not really, no. I spent most of my time talking about how inspirational it would be to be somewhere else. It occurred to me that I've spent a lot of time hoping that the changes I want in my life will happen on their own. But changes don't happen on their own. If you expect them to, then you just end up doing the same thing over, and over again, and wondering why nothing is changing. There have been so many times when I've read about a musician, or a book, or an event, or a place, and thought "I'll look into that eventually" - but I never really do. And then I wonder why I haven't heard any new music, or read any amazing books, or been to any cool parties, or taken any trips in so long.

I don't need to move back to Brisbane, or anywhere else to make those things happen. I just need to take advantage of the things that I have at my disposal. I may not be able to study a Photography degree here, but I can take amazing pictures that I couldn't in Brisbane. I may not be able to go to a new show every weekend, but I can find those musicians & artists that I'm interested in online. I can join clubs, and go to community events, and take people up on invitations. I can plan trips to all the amazing places that aren't far from Clermont. I can order new books online, or even read them online. I can find inspiration on blogs, and Tumblr, and youtube. My life is only going to be as good as the effort I put into making it good. I want to make this move an incredible decision, and I'm going to try my best.

Change, I have realised, doesn't happen on it's own. Change takes courage, conviction and determination. You have to be willing to work at change. You have to be willing to make the change happen. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

Until next time, xo.