If all is going to plan, today I should be somewhere in Volcano National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii hiking to, flying over or driving by an active volcano in search of molten lava, and with a view to ticking off number 20 on my Daisy List; Look Into a Volcano. A red hot dream if ever I saw one!
In my absence, Gayle Nastasi from Gazehound is guest posting today. Gayle is an animal communicator and advocate for our furry, feathered and otherwise non-human friends. When she’s not blogging about animal welfare, positivity and overcoming obstacles, Gayle is helping clients communicate with their pets, rehabilitating wildlife, rescuing animals, writing, photographing and gardening! Read Gayle’s guest post and then when you’re done, go on over to Gazehound and check it out. Over to you Gayle…
What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen?
We’ve all been there: we’re sitting on the edge of a decision, and don’t know which way to turn. An opportunity has presented itself, but accepting it means (shudder at the thought) … change. Change is a big thing for most people. Many of us, when faced with a significant change in our lives, feel like we’re paralyzed, at least for a while.
Whenever I think about how people react differently to change, I can’t help thinking about cats.
(And they all sit, scratching their heads, and asking, “Huh?”)
As an animal communicator, I’ve attempted to help many cats and their humans through life’s challenges. Cats, as a rule, don’t like change. Although, for the most part, animals know how to live in the moment and get the most out of each pulse and breath, when a cat’s environment changes, they very often go through a serious period of dejection, rejection, and acting out.
Something as simple as moving a familiar piece of furniture to a new spot, or an owner changing their work day schedule, can worry some cats to distraction. Whenever a client calls me to say that the cat’s started fighting, or is peeing on furniture, or has stopped eating, or isn’t using the litter box anymore, or … I try to get to the bottom of two inevitable questions:
Has he seen a vet to make sure there’s nothing physically wrong?
and
“What’s changed?”
As humans, of course, our reactions to change in our lives don’t usually mean we start spraying against the sofa or beating up our little brothers. We do, however, go through classic stress symptoms when decisions have to be made. Everyone is unique on this earth-walk, and each reacts differently. For some, it takes a major issue like a job change, or ending a relationship, to cause us undue duress. Others falter over having to dig out the winter wear and put our favorite shorts and tees to bed for the season.
When I’m faced with a major change (or, at times, even a minor one) in my life, I ask myself a question that seems to really help get me focused:
“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
That question seems to put things into perspective for me. It sorts out the genuinely major issues from those that may seem major but really aren’t. If the answer is “I lose my home”, or “I could die”, then yes, I’m faced with a big issue that needs careful thought and a great deal of trust in my intuition. If the answer to the question is “I’ll look like a dork” or “I might fall down and have to pick myself up again”, then the choice becomes a much less stressful one, and I stride forward with more confidence.
“What’s the worst thing that could happen?” does not end all stress, nor does it remove the need to make serious changes in life. What it does, however, is weed out some of the things we’re worrying about that really don’t require all that much worry.
We’re faced with challenges every single day. Rarely do challenges come along where there is only one possible answer. Many of the truly wonderful adventures in life will involve a choice that, if we “play it safe”, we would not normally make. Asking “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” will often clarify the situation, filter out those options that aren’t quite so scary, and give us courage as we realize that our worst-case scenarios are quite often more-than-acceptable risks.
When faced with choices, and with change in life, ask the question, weigh your answers, and always remember when the heart begins to palpitate just a bit: You may balk a bit over change, but you still handle it better than a cat.
About the Author
Gayle Nastasi is a professional animal communicator who hosts a multi-topic blog at Gazehound. Feel free to visit, and follow her thoughts on things like creative thought, animal welfare, overcoming obstacles, and more.
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Hi Gayle and Sami.
The question does put things in perspective real quick, I do agree.
What often amazes me is how we get to all these scary scenarios we can come up which paralyzes us.
For me it has really helped to replace those scary scenarios too, but they were more locked into core beliefs than I thought.
However it sure it worth the effort as changed scripts in my head have certainly allowed me to make life a lot more adventurous.
Great post, Gayle!
@Wilma, Isn’t that so true? So often, asking the question will allow us to really examine what is holding us back, and realize it’s often not so scary after all.
@Dani, thanks so much!
Hey Gayze,
Great post! When I read, “I’ll look like a dork,” I totally started laughing. Because, well, that is one of the biggest things that stops me from moving forward and taking risks.
Well, I should probably stop beating my self up, because, as you said, I’ll still handle the change or fallout better than a cat. (lol)
Great to see you here, Gayze. Have a great day!
@Lori, after many years of living, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that “dork” may very well be my natural state of being. LOL Makes life much simpler.
@Gayze
Thanks for the awesome guest post Gayle!
@Sami, it was my pleasure, thank YOU! And welcome home!