What to do if you're scared of change

Ah, happy New Year! If you're scared of change this post is for you.

It feels good to be back in the groove right? With each new year comes new adventures, and with that comes new monsters (Monsters? I'll explain shortly.)

To do that, let's talk about laundry.

Who likes doing laundry?

Well, I strongly disliked it.

No matter how many times I promised myself I wouldn't let it build up, I managed to do just that. And I let it build up until I used every sheet for my bed possible, and every pair of random underwear and socks I could find.

It became a 'Laundry Monster' because I was so terrified of facing it.

There was just SO much!

And the worst part? The laundry is in the basement. So I could lug all of my clothes downstairs and the machines might be in use.

Ughhh. (Yes, I  understand my laundry problems might seem trivial. But I'm going somewhere with this...)

HOWEVER, each and every time I did it - I was reminded that it wasn't so bad. In fact, the satisfaction of having my laundry all folded up, and my socks in little balls, and knowing my clothes were clean was priceless.

I mean who doesn't love looking at a drawer filled with socks in little balls?!

Doing laundry isn't really that bad...

I just let it build up 'til it became this (what seemed like a) daunting task.

But if I take the clothes from the hamper and then get on the elevator and then put them into a washing machine and add detergent and then put those clothes into a dryer - one step a time - it's very doable, and dare I say - enjoyable.

The laundry monster isn't the only monster I face though.

We all face monsters. All types and sorts and sizes of monsters.

Monsters are anything we know we should do but aren't. Monsters are the things we're not really sure about. Monsters are the things we want to do, or have to do, but no idea how. Monsters are the things we might not be looking forward to. We face monsters every single day, big and small. We have monsters on the horizon too.

Monsters can be scary.

Know what is scarier?

The anticipation of the monster.

We spend more energy resisting the monster than if we were to attack it. Like with any monster, when we attack it, it always feels so empowering.

"Yes! I can do this! This wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

We also have monsters we choose not to face...

Whether it's work related, house related, relationship related, health related (that's what we're here for!) you name it. And not attacking them adds a level of stress to our lives. It wears on us. It nags us. It's a lingering feeling. We think about it, and we put a band-aid on it. We start to take action but then we figure out a temporary solution only to make it worse.

The best way to attack a monster is step by step.

The monster is never as scary as it seems.

This post might sound trite. After all, I'm talking about monsters!

But this mantra of sorts of mine: "The monster is never as scary as it seems" has helped me tremendously throughout my life.

What are your monsters?

Identifying them makes a big difference. Tackling them makes an even bigger difference.

Together, we can conquer any monster. (That's part of attacking them. Getting help where we need it.)

That's what 2014 is all about: Conquering our monsters.

Remember: With each new year comes new adventures, and with that comes new monsters but the monster is never as scary as it seems.

Here's to a great 2014!

-Adam