#LoveChange

"I want to tag Fawn from Deer Delights to share her #LoveChange story.  If you dont know, I met Fawn at her #ChariTea event on Woman’s Day.  The event was in aid of The South African Organ Donor Foundation, a charity very close to Fawn’s heart (or lungs as the case may be), as she is an organ donor recipient!"  - Gina A Bit Of This A Bit Of That

Thank-you Gina, for tagging me to share my #LoveChange story. I'm sure by now, most of you already know my story so I want to focus more on the impact that the change had on my life - 

For me, change was a dream come true. It was a long awaited part of life that I spent every waking day hoping to experience. When my change finally came, although I had thought about it my whole life, it was still a huge shock to the system and something that I found strangely difficult to adapt to.

This is the problem with change, we're never quite ready for it, yet we deeply yearn for it in our lives. Fear then joins forces with the uncertainty around change and suddenly we're not sure if we want it anymore. We're left in a state of confusion, wanting to experience something exciting in our lives, something only change can provide us, yet we're paralysed by trepidation.

"Luckily" for me, I had no choice, I had to change, or die.

Last year, on the 5th of March, I recieved a double lung transplant. This completely changed my life, of course for the better, but with any change, good or not, comes the long journey of rediscovering ones self. Whether you've moved to a new country, had children, lost a loved one, started a new job or even a new sport you will at some stage experience a loss of identity.

"Is this for me?" "Have I bitten off more than I can chew?"

We get comfortable with our lives and being the adaptive creatures that we are we start to accpet things and then they don't bother us anymore. Eventually though, we realise that these things are plagueing our happiness and we need them to change. Next, we take a huge leap of faith and change the things that we feel are holding us down. We think that taking the first step is the hardest part and soon we will be able to indulge in the happiness that this new change brings with it. Unfortunately, the hard part is yet to come.

Adaption takes time, which in turn takes patience. Sometimes things even have to get a little worse before they get better. It's at this stage that we start questioning whether or not we made a mistake and maybe we shouldv'e just carried on with the way things were.

Those strong enough to see this stage through will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Faith that things WILL get better, will keep you going. However, sometimes, we just don't have enough strength or patience within us to see this stage through, this results in us either going back to what things were, or changing something else to try and compensate. Going back to the way things were may lead to a feeling of failure whilst changing something else may result in a huge amount of turmoil which is very hard to cope with.

The thing with change is it doesn't happen over night, it's an achievement that needs to be worked for and earned. If it was easy then we wouldn't hesitate to do it and when we had it, we would just do it again. It's difficult for a reason- it forces you to think about what you really want, what's worth fighting for and what is better left untouched.

I have been through a lot of change, it hasn't been easy but it has undeniably been worth it. Because of my transplant, my life changed from unbearable to amazing. I'd never had an amazing life and although this doesn't sound like a very hard adjustment to make, it was. Pre-transplant I spent my days wishing for change, hoping for a donor to be found so that I didn't have to die at a young age. Now that I have my lungs, I need a new goal. I don't have one. I didn't think that far ahead and now, even though I am indulging in all life has to offer, I'm more lost than I have ever been before.

But that's ok, my transplant didnt happen over night and I don't expect any other goals to happen that quickly either. I have time and patience to work out what I want to do with my life. I'm embracing my change, living life to the fullest and looking forward to all the many changes yet to come.

Are you a budding writer? Then #LoveChange and win!

BrightRock loves change and now, they’re looking for your big change story. Share your story about your experiences with one of Life’s biggest Change Moments – whether it’s Landing that Job, Tying the knot, Starting a Family or Making a Home – and you could win R2 000 in cash and the chance to become a regular contributor on BrightRock’s exciting Change Exchange  It’s an asking, learning, sharing, changing space – packed with tips and tools to help people live through, and even love, life’s greatest Change Moments.

Here’s how to win:

Submit your #LoveChange story – of no more than 650 words via the “Your Story” tab on the Change Exchange . Feel free to upload a pic to go with it, or include a link to an Instragram pic or YouTube video. You’ll find all the competition rules on the Change Exchange.

#LoveChange entries close 31 Oct 2014. Ts & Cs apply.

There are some really great articles on the Change Exchange website to help you deal with life's changes. The stories relate to all aspects of life, from health to relationships and they have some fantastic advice. Here's an example of a work related article that I really found useful - 13 Money Tips For Free Lancers. 

Go check them out! 

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