The past few months have been some of the most transformative times of my life. I have had the pleasure of participating in an intensive course in Change Management at Australian Catholic University. Our lecturer, Dr. David Paul, has introduced us to how we should implement the best tools available in order to deal with some of the most complex, yet needed changes, that we may encounter. This means changing ourselves – the way we think.

One of the points Dr. Paul makes is that whenever change is imposed upon people, they choose one of two options: to cope with change or to deal with it. To cope, is the easiest but most terrifying option. It involves giving up on our power over the change. The imposed change then becomes victorious over us, crushes us down, can even kill us and deeply affect those we love. To deal with it, on the other hand, is to use our power, to understand the change, to find a better way to deal with it and to embrace and accept what we cannot change. This leads to us being victorious over change.

Covid19 has had a significant impact on us, and an even worse impact on those who have chosen to simply cope with it. You just have to listen to yourself, observe people around you and pay attention to the news. This data depicts the impacts on wellbeing in Australia.

The impact that Covid19 has had on Australia has been significant. As a result, Dr. Ruth Vine, the Australian Government’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health, has responded by increasing funds to support the Australian Institute of Health, Welfare’s National Self-Harm and Suicide Monitoring System.

St. Paul of the Cross states, “I tell you that victory consists in conquering self. That is the greatest enemy.” This could not be more relevant to our current situation. The question is, how do we become our greatest enemy?

“I tell you that victory consists in conquering self. That is the greatest enemy.” – St Paul of the Cross

Current research presents a number of explanations to this question, including some Christian based sources that suggests our mind is the main player in poor decision making. Our heart is where true wisdom is found, however it is often ignored in the decision-making process. The heart speaks from the perspective of “what is the most loving thing to do?” Thus, each time we have a decision to make, we need to reflect, give our hearts a chance to speak before our minds come rushing in with imperfect answers.

Jesus was faced with this while in the Garden of Gethsemane. From his mind, Jesus said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me.” He was afraid of the torture ahead of him. From his heart, as he kept praying, he said “But not mine but your will be done” (Matt 14:36). He accepted the change imposed on him, he embraced the Cross, he was victorious because he listened with his heart.

I have recently struggled with my personal spirituality/life balance, where I sometimes feel dry inside. Ultimately it’s led me to the realisation that I need to take care of my spiritual life in a deeper, and more intentional way. As a Passionist, I am called to embrace whatever cross is before me. My learning over the last few months has taught me that this means seeking the appropriate professional help. It means taking up the fruits of this help, it means seeking God’s loving advice in my heart, and most importantly, it means being open enough with myself to put all of it into practice.

Only I can change me.

Dr. Paul says that “Knowledge is not knowledge until it is used.” With that in mind, I encourage you to respond to the following questions and share your responses with a friend, or loved one.

What are your current imposed changes?
How have you coped or dealt with them?
What is one thing are you going to do before tomorrow, to make you more victorious over imposed changes?