Mindfully Making Changes

How to make the right changes for the right reasons and in the right ways. Read the following article and listen to the suggested audio dharma talk, and then deepen your understanding of the teachings by contemplating the reflections provided below.

Articles:

Making Major Life Changes

Talks:

Dharma Wisdom with Phillip Moffitt · Can We Change?

For Your Reflection:

1. Think about the times when you’ve made major changes in your life. Would you say that you’re comfortable with change? Are you slow or quick to react when you realize there’s a need for change? What about change makes you most fearful?

2. In which areas of your life (i.e., job, family, friends, relationship with your significant other) do you deal well with change and in which areas are you weak? “Practice” getting better at making change by choosing an issue from your area of greatest weakness and making it the focus of your mindfulness practice.

3. Begin to notice the truth of anicca (that everything that is based on conditions is always changing) during your daily life. See for yourself that you navigate in a constantly changing stream. If you persist, you will feel more at ease with change over time.

4. How would you describe your mother and father’s relationship to change? How much does your relationship to change resemble theirs? What values do you hold about change that you’re not currently experiencing? What could you do to alter your response to change that would reflect your values?

5. Think back to a time when you were not skillful in dealing with change. Did you have compassion for yourself? Or did you judge yourself harshly? Did the harsh judgment serve you in any way? It is crucial that you be able to discern when you are being skillful with change and when you are not. There is a difference between discernment and harsh judgment; can you feel the difference?