I am going through a phase of change. Not only did I switch my place of living, but I am going through a change that runs deep under the skin. Owing to that, I have a ton of things going on inside and around me. I need to wait out this paradigm shift and feel some ground before I decide where it is that I have come to. That is exactly my topic of discussion today. Change. It is a one word bomb that will set most people to unrest. Whether the impending change is good or bad for us, only time will tell, but most of it is based on common sense. Literally. While we may not possess the power to foresee our future, God has equipped us with a little piece of magic called “common sense”. No pun intended. Your common sense and a basic general knowledge of the things surrounding your point of concern will go a long way. So what is it that can make a change good for you? Or, let me rephrase. How can you change for the better? The key is consistency.

What is it that you want to accomplish? You may get all sorts of answers.

I want to be happy.

I want to help people.

I want to be a book writer.

I want to lose weight.

I want to gain weight.

I want to learn French.

I want to live a healthier lifestyle.

I want to excel at my job.

I want to learn programming.

I want to start my own business.

I want to build my own house.

I want to settle down.

The list is endless. As long as there are people on this planet, this list will keep on growing and growing and keep getting weirder and weirder. Dreams are good. Achievable dreams are better. But weird dreams are the best. So how do we go about reaching our goal?

I tell you what. The more you pressurize yourself into achieving a goal, the more likely you are going to opt out of it.

If you want to be a book writer and want to see it finished in, say, a year, you might be pushing yourself too hard. On the other hand, if you go easy on yourself and allow yourself the liberty of writing only for 10 minutes daily, you might come up with something better. The key being, I’m repeating myself, consistency.

If you want to lose weight, don’t start off with the intense stuff right away. Exercise is hard work. If it wasn’t, obesity wouldn’t be such a big problem today. Go slow on yourself, make step by step progress to build stamina. Be good to your body and it will be good to you. And don’t forget to celebrate milestones, however small they may be. That will keep you going.

Do you want to learn a new language? Start with the alphabet. Don’t jump right onto words. In case you’re wondering, that was a metaphor. Take time to sink in the basics. Don’t fret if you haven’t covered all the basics in the first week. Learning a new language is a complete project that requires time, devotion and consistency. No kidding.

Similarly, you can accomplish all your dreams with the one magic word: consistency. You shouldn’t be worried about how slow you go, as long as you keep going.

Change is a marvelous thing. It builds people. Change is fearful because it is sometimes unknown. It’s always good to be prepared but even if you aren’t, take each day as it comes. Learn bit by bit, go steady and remain true to whatever you’re aiming for. You have a whole world to conquer! Dream on.