“Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely, and we’re left with only the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling not moving, assuming the worst that can happen or we step forward into the unknown and assume it will be brilliant.” —Grey’s Anatomy, Cristina Yang’s last episode 2014

A new year has arrived, vacations and holidays are wrapping up and the everyday, regular routine awaits each of us to step back in line and do what needs to be done: pay the bills, go to the market, balance the budget and go to bed at a decent hour.

But what if the regular routine shifts? What if something has taken place that shifts what we’ve become accustomed to, and we must adapt? Even if the shift is something we want, but especially if it is something we do not, how do we, the future we are stepping into, adapt?

We do so by stepping forward with brilliant optimism and a reasoned understanding of life’s truth, a truth that is imperative that we understand to be so wildly powerful that to dismiss it is to toss away a simple key to a beautiful life.

If we’ve ever been disappointed or denied a wish or a dream, it can be understandable to see why we might want to slink back when change, especially the opportunity for good change is presented to us. But here’s why it is never a good idea.

What we look for we are more often to find. Now this doesn’t mean that simply because we assume, predict or look for something it will materialize, but because we’re so preoccupied looking for the worst, we never see the brilliance.

We never see the glimmer of blue sky peeking through the clouds. We never hear the compliments. We never savor the ease, the unexpected surprises and bountiful moments of unedited smiles.

However, if when change arrives, and we are left to choose how we will broach it, whether we shall embrace or shield ourselves, I encourage each of us to follow Cristina Yang’s lead as shared in the quote above (side note: Does anyone else miss Sandra Oh on Grey’s? Wow, miss her like the sun after a long winter), and step forward. Shift your mind to see the possibilities of amazingly wonderful scenarios and lap up any goodness you find.

Why? Believe it or not, when you shift, so too does your world. Even if ever so slightly, the odds tilt in your favor. It doesn’t mean it will always work out, but when you look and assume the positive, you begin to see more of the positive, you begin to model and radiate a more positive energy, and such energy is exactly what people want to be around.

Secondly, when you express confidence in the world, therefore people, more people are likely to maintain your reason for having said confidence. Again, you begin to cultivate what you wish to see. And lastly, when you assume it will be brilliant, how you speak, how you communicate becomes something others want to engage in, want to listen to and are drawn to.

Be courageous enough to hope that what you are stepping into will be brilliant. Be the brave soul who refuses to be pulled down by the cowards who don’t even dare to see all of the possibilities. Think of what they miss out on when you do eventually realize that the optimism pays off and the world you have the opportunity to call your own was only a dream in prior days.

So why not . . . assume it will brilliant? After all, it truly can be. But only . . . only if you believe it could be so.

~View more Why Not . . . ? inspirational posts here.

Image: Golden Gate Bridge