Begetting Change | Same Choices, Same results

A change in perspective, behavior, or response

can do so much more to help us move past issues left unresolved.

Repeated bouts of adversity are an unavoidable aspect of human existence. We battle against our inner struggles or outer world forces, and in many cases, we emerge on the opposite side of struggle stronger and better equipped to cope with the challenges yet to come. However, we can occasionally encounter trials that seem utterly hopeless. We strike at them with all of our creativity and perseverance, hoping desperately to bring about change, only to meet with the same results as always. Our first instinct in such situations is often to push harder against the seemingly immovable obstruction before us, assuming that this time we will be met with a different outcome. But staying power and stamina net us little when the same choices consistently garner the same results. A change in perspective, behavior, or response can do so much more to help us move past points where no amount of effort seems sufficient to overcome the difficulties before us.

Whether our intention is to change ourselves or some element of the world around us, we cannot simply wish for transformation or hope that our lives will be altered through circumstance. If our patterns of thought and behavior remain unchanged, our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously. Patterns in which fruitless efforts prevail can be overcome with self examination and courage. It is our bravery that allows us to question the choices we have made thus far and to channel our effort into innovation. Asking questions and making small adjustments to your thought processes and behaviors will help you discover what works, so you can leave that which does not work behind you. To break free from those unconscious patterns that have long held sway over your actions and reactions, you will likely have to challenge your assumptions on a most basic level. You must accept once and for all that your beliefs with regard to cause and effect may no longer be in accordance with your needs.

Stagnation is often a sign that great changes are on the horizon. Courting the change you wish to see in yourself and in the world around you is a matter of acknowledging that only change begets change. The results you so ardently want to realize are well within the realm of possibility, and you need only step away from the well-worn circular path to explore the untried paths that lie beyond it. ~ The Daily OM

I have been stagnant for long enough and now there is bigger change on my horizon than i had anticipated.

I thought that i had applied to study at certificate level. I have not done any study in a good ten years, and  i want to be able to get back to work - only this time doing something that i am interested in and enjoy - as soon as possible so i had initially applied to only study a one year certificate. I also thought that i would probably need to complete a one year certificate before i would even be accepted to study an actual degree - since i have no formal education.

On Friday afternoon i received an email from the University with my log in details to the online information for the course that i am enrolled in, and the papers that i will be studying this year. I have spent all weekend following links to reading material, information on the assessments that i will have to do, and just generally going through all the  mounds of information that i have been sent.

It all seemed like a lot for certificate level study. I had another look at the email that i had been sent and it turns out that i am enrolled in the 3 year degree.

That scared me.

I went back and spent all of yesterday going through all of the information for the papers that i will have to do this year though, and it does not look daunting at all. In fact, i am finding that because it is a subject that i have such a huge interest in - my Facebook and blogging addictions are at a huge risk of being replaced.

My subjects for the first half of this year are;

Theories of Substance Abuse, Misuse, and Addiction
The Sociology of Addiction. ( I am going to LOVE this one. )
Interventions for Alcohol and Drug Problems.
Motivational Interviewing. (This one scares me a bit. I am good at writing - speaking - not so much)

The second half of the year consists of;

The Treaty of Waitangi. ( WHY??? But that is ok - i already studied this while doing nursing )
Clinical Practice and Professional Development
Client Centred Practice Issues

Oh. My. Gosh. I can not wait until Thursday to get started!

I obviously had been stagnant long enough so God has pushed me in a little deeper than i thought i was ready to go.

That is all good. I will have my Bachelor of Alcohol and Drug Studies a year sooner than i had anticipated.

I. Am. So. Excited.

Different choices | Different results.