Through Adversity We Grow

Welcome to the Fabulous Hybrid Blog Carnival. Our topic this spring is Change! This post was written for inclusion in the quarterly Blog Carnival hosted by The Fabulous Mama Chronicles and Hybrid Rasta Mama. This month our participants reflect on change in all of its many forms. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

Change doesn’t just happen. At least, change doesn’t just happen without a reason. There is always a reason for everything (how many times have I said that in my life?). There must be a catatylist that triggers a change, whether positive or negative.

Sometimes that catalyst will be something out of our control; we must adapt in relationship to something else that has changed in order to survive, live peacefully, etc. Other times we act as our own catalyst, pushing ourselves to new limits, searching for different viewpoints or information which will challenge our own thoughts and experiences, resulting in change and growth in our journey.

Whatever the catalyst, whether negative or positive in origin, we own the resulting change. We can fight change, refusing to acknowledge or accept it as an opportunity, or we can embrace change, viewing it as growth potential. We don’t grow, in our careers, in our relationships, in our personhoods, or as parents while floating along stagnant. We grow when we push ourselves to new limits, examine our beliefs for fallacy, and challenge ourselves to make changes which we feel better support our decisions. Adversity leads to growth.

I constantly evaluate my thoughts and beliefs and search out information. Those times when I find myself at odds with an idea, with situations, or with the people I love? That’s when I remind myself that it is times like those that facilitate the greatest growth in myself as a person. I can fight against the change, or I can embrace the opportunity and direct myself to a positive outcome.

Visit Hybrid Rasta Mama and the Fabulous Mama Chronicles to find out how you can participate in the next Fabulous Hybrid Carnival!

• Unschooling My Heart – Patti at Canadian Unschooler discovered that Unschooling her kids was EASY compared to the bigger change required to Unschool her heart.
• Change (Variety) – Rachel at Lautaret Bohemiet writes about how variety is the spice of life.
• No More Threats – Amy at Presence Parenting flips the idea of parental control through threats on its head, for good.
• Why Are You Mad??? Turn Off the T.V and Meditate – Destany of They Are All of Me discusses limiting stress by focusing more on your Inside self.
• Co-ed Sleepovers?  Changing My Mindset – Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama takes a hard look at her previous beliefs about sleepovers.
• Change Can Mean Puddles – Jorje of Momma Jorje has had to clean up some puddles after major changes.
• On Acceptance – Laura at Authentic Parenting writes about how she ditched the constant longing for change and came to accept herself as she is.
• Blissed Out on Birth, Drunk on Baby Skin – Melissa from Mothers of Change passionately explores the changes she would like to see come to the maternity care system, and our universal love of the smell of a newborn baby.
• Changing My Mindset, One Challenge at a Time – Wolfmother at Fabulous Mama Chronicles speaks candidly about her challenges in changing how she parents.
• Because Mommy Said No – Dawn of Raising Natural Kids discusses the use of a common phrase that makes Mommy out to be the bad guy when, in reality, she is making decisions out of love.
• Through Adversity We Grow – Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children chooses to take a positive view on change and growth.
• Life is Change – Rae of Ital Livin’ writes about the large changes her family has made within the last year.constant in life.
• A Changing Voice – Jennifer at Our Muddy Boots discusses how in order to grow change is unavoidable.  That does not mean the process is easy though.
• Being. Changing. Believing. – Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making It All Work reminisces on the changes that have shaped her adult life thus far, and molded her into an adaptable, but still type-A, believer in change.
• Motivating Change In The Face Of Apathy – Brenna at Almost All The Truth is asking the question many of us who actively work to change the world ask ourselves: how do we get people to care?
• She Changes Everything She Touches – Change is the only thing we can count on in life, and Jen in Canada examines some of the biggest things she’d like to tackle before the birth of her second child.