Jillian’s February 1 Post: Change

Well, it’s the beginning of February -- the time when many of us are lamenting slipping on our New Year’s resolutions or wondering why we ever made them in the first place. Or maybe we’re succeeding in our commitments and feeling good about the change. Whatever we feel, many of us question the value of change this time of the year.

Change often has been really scary for me – and hard. But it’s also been the road to some of my greatest experiences and adventures. Two years ago, I took one of the most frightening leaps of my life – leaving a great, steady job at PBS to follow a long-time dream. I did this because I saw the tremendous possibility that comes with change. In my journeys, I had discovered that travel, if we do it right, provides lessons for our lives: it shows us what’s possible in life. I knew I needed to change my own life so I could share this message with as many people as possible.

This is when I also discovered the deeply exciting part: how our changes can ripple. As Dr. David Hawkins says, “In this interconnected universe, every improvement we make in our private world improves the world at large for everyone.” Or, as I try to remember every day, these words of the Dalai Lama: “Without inner peace, it is impossible to have world peace.”

So, on those days when the bumps in the road feel like an endless stretch of potholes, I keep driving: Because I never know who I might meet around the next corner; who I might touch, just by staying on this path to live a better life.

What change have you embarked upon this year that could improve your life and, in the process – even though you may not know exactly who or how yet – also improve the lives of others?

I’d love to hear your experiences.