I've always wondered why people are so resistant to change, as if it's some dirty word or shameful thought. What is so scary about it anyhow?

I grew up in a family of change. Probably due to my mother who once lived in a school bus and traveled around with her first husband and son. There was never a time when my mother surprised me, never. I could come home from school to a mother with purple hair, and it wasn't shocking at all. The house would be re-arranged and my bedroom would be switched with my sister's or completely given away to a stranger who needed a place to stay. Sure, it wasn't exactly the easiest of childhoods, never being sure of what was going to happen next, but it sure was exciting (annoying at times, I wont lie, but definitely exciting).

For many years, I resisted anything that had to do with my mother, including change. I think it was my "separation" from the parental examples (rebellion anyone?), but as I aged and went out into the world, I discovered the honest truth. I'm just like my mother (eeeeeeeeeeeek!!!)...

I actually do appreciate my mother's ability to change at the drop of a hat and it certainly has allowed me the freedom to change without so much resistance. I love it, actually. I love getting up and going to a new city whenever I feel like it (or have a gig). I love loading the car and watching the white lines disappear behind me. I love the freshness of a new city or a back country road. I love walking into a a little bar or restaurant that I'd never know had I stayed still. The people, the stories, the excitement... of change.

There are many people that I know, friends, fans, even family members who have never left the place they were raised. Scared to drive the streets of a big city or even change their hairstyle (ok, I'll admit... the hair was a tough change for me back in 2005 when I chopped it off for the first time in ten years)... but the excitement and freedom of change is exhilerating, once you find the courage to DO IT!

I think it all goes along with "fear" as I have written many journals on "fear" lately in my quest to be a better person and admit my fears to the world (yikes). It's amazing how many fears we carry around with us, never really thinking that we are "scared" or "fearful", but... we are. What keeps you where you are? Are you happy in your life? Do you walk by the mirror without glancing into it because you have that extra 20 pounds you dont want to see (or deal with)? Do you avoid your friends because they are "too honest"? Have you given up on your passion? What makes you truly and genuinely happy? Why aren't you doing that? What are we so damn scared of? Geeeeezzzzz!! Change is GOOD! Hard, but good. I certainly am not saying that I'm free of fear and that I don't struggle with changes, cuz Lord knows I have fears that can stop me dead in my tracks and ruin my entire day. Once I started to really learn about fear, I started recognizing how many times a day I was being stopped by it. Change is scary, it really is... but the more changes you make in your life, the more strength you find within yourself. The bigger your confidence grows, it's the most powerful feeling, it's the freedom of fear.