Navigating Change Courageously
- Greater Grounds
- Jan 9
- 3 min read
Maybe you’re choosing change.
Or maybe change has chosen you.
A diagnosis.
An ending you didn't see coming.
A new beginning you planned for.
Change is one of the few guarantees in life—and whether it’s planned or unexpected, it can sometimes leave us feeling unsteady and unsure of who we are or where we’re headed.
So let me ask you two questions to consider:
What if change isn’t something to simply survive—but an invitation to discover the greatness already within you?
What if change is actually the catalyst for answering some of life’s biggest questions and shaping a path forward that is uniquely yours?
Change has shaped my life from an early age. Growing up as a military brat meant constant moves and transitions. Later, when my competitive swimming career ended, I found myself wrestling with big life questions like “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” Depression followed and counseling helped. Then life stabilized for a season—until chronic illness, a hit-and-run accident where I was struck by a car while out running, and eventually divorce brought wave after wave of unchosen change.
Those seasons were painful and disorienting AND they also taught me something essential: there is a way to walk through change that leads not just to survival, but to a transformed life and a new way of being.
I think of change like sailing. You don’t control the wind—but you can learn to work with it. You encounter what’s happening, explore possible routes, engage your sails, and express your choice by moving forward—adjusting as needed.
This is the heart of our E4 Transformation Process:
Step One: Encounter — Where am I?
The first step is presence.
Encounter your situation honestly and curiously, letting go of judgment.
Ask yourself:
What problem or circumstance am I facing right now?
What emotions am I experiencing?
What thoughts keep showing up?
What values or core beliefs feel challenged?
What is happening in my body?
This isn’t about fixing anything yet. It’s about telling the truth and listening.
Step Two: Explore — What’s possible?
Next, we explore.
This is where imagination and growth begin.
What are 3–5 possible options that could bring hope and life?
If money, time, and resources weren’t an issue, what would I do?
How might my actions have contributed to this situation?
What could change within me so that I can learn and grow here?
Exploration creates space—space for new perspectives, new courage, and new possibilities.
Step Three: Engage — What will I do?
Now comes commitment.
From the options you explored, ask:
Which choice brings the most hope and life?
If I responded in the best possible way, what would I do—what's something I’d be proud of later?
What steps are needed to move forward?
What is the most important step I can take right now?
Engaging doesn’t mean certainty. It means choosing to move forward with intention.
Step Four: Express — Living into your decision.
Finally, we express—by living it out.
Turn your decision into a declaration:
“Beginning today, I will ______.”
Then name the steps you’ll take.
Identify two people who will cheer you on.
And move forward with confidence, trusting that you already have what you need within you.
Change will always bring emotions and uncertainty. But when we stop fighting it and start engaging it with curiosity and courage, something shifts.
We come back to those two questions again:
What if this change is inviting you to discover the greatness already within you?
What if this very moment is shaping the answers to your biggest questions—and leading you toward a transformed life full of hope and a new way of being?
If you’re standing in the midst of change, you’re not failing. You’re becoming.
When we shift the way we walk through change—when we stop resisting and start engaging—we discover a powerful truth: change can become the very thing that empowers greatness in ourselves and in others.
If you’re standing in the middle of change right now, take heart. You’re not lost or failing. You’re becoming.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
Want to learn more about becoming and how to navigate change courageously?
Join me Thursday, January 21st, 12:00 - 1:00, for a free webinar.
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