How to Stop Resisting Change & Start Creating a Life That Actually Feels Right
A few months ago, I went hiking with a friend wearing one of my favorite pairs of sunglasses: Tom Ford aviators with custom blue mirror lenses.
Halfway through the hike, I took them off to wipe the sweat off my face and dropped them on a rock.
When I picked them up, there was a huge gash on the right lens. Not a scratch. A gash.
I have scratch repair paste, so I wasn’t too worried because I was optimistic that it would take care of it.
Except it didn’t because the scratch was too deep.
Still not deterred, I took them to an optical store. They refurbished another pair of my sunglasses and did an amazing job. I was confident that they could work their magic on this pair.
They couldn’t.
And to make matters worse, because the lenses were a custom color, they couldn’t color-match, and I had to replace both.
For a second, I felt my stomach drop, but I immediately caught myself.
What if this isn’t a loss?
Maybe I could use this as an opportunity to completely change the look of the sunglasses.
The moment the owner opened the lens catalog, my eyes went straight to a pink mirror lens that I knew would look perfect in those frames.
Leaving the store that day, I felt gratitude for the plot twist that led to a pair of sunglasses that I liked even better.
This reminded me of other times in my life where something unexpected redirected me and ended up being better.
For example, in 2009, the company that I was working for in Chicago went bankrupt. In 2011, they were bought by another company that was based in Atlanta. They announced that they were closing the Chicago office and consolidating the headquarters in Atlanta.
I was offered a job in Atlanta, but didn’t want to move, which meant that I was losing my job.
I loved that job, mostly because I loved my team and the people I worked with. But after a long, arduous job search that tested me in every way imaginable, I ended up getting another job that came with a 30% pay increase.
The other thing about the new job was that I worked from home three days per week, which turned into working from home almost all of the time, which turned into me realizing that I could work from anywhere, which turned into me moving to Hawaii.
When you are not fully aligned with your life’s path, something will disrupt it to put you on your path.
And when life forces you to change, it’s usually in a way that you don’t find very pleasant. It’s inconvenient, messy, emotional, expensive, and sometimes even downright unfair.
This looks like losing your job, the relationship breaking down, or the thing that you were avoiding, finally becoming unavoidable.
But every time I thought that life’s circumstances were the worst possible outcome, it was the thing that moved me toward the life I actually wanted.
But what if you didn’t wait for life to force you to change?
Because the truth is that the disruptions usually come after you have ignored the intuitive nudge, and you know deep down that you should be making a change. And sometimes the signs are punching us in the face, and we still turn a blind eye.
We always have two options. You can wait until life makes the decision for you, or you can choose to take agency over your life in an empowering and more convenient way.
That doesn’t mean that it will be easy. Because, yes, change is uncomfortable. But there is a difference between the discomfort of realignment and the chaos of being forced into it.
And when you choose to make a change, there is another feeling mixed with the discomfort: excitement.
That feeling of, Oh, I get it. This is actually who I’m meant to be.
Excitement and fear cause the same physiological responses in the body. The only difference is the stories that we tell ourselves about the situation.
Tony Robbins used to tell a story about Bruce Springsteen and Carly Simon to explain this concept.
Before Bruce went on stage, his heart would race, his palms would sweat, and his hands would shake, and that’s how he knew he was excited and ready to go on stage.
Before Carly went on stage, her heart would race, her palms would sweat, and her hands would shake, and that’s when she knew she was having an anxiety attack and couldn’t perform.
Yes, change is scary. But it can also be exciting. And when you choose to see it that way, it stops feeling like something to avoid and starts feeling like something to move toward.
So, if something in your life has been quietly asking for change? Don’t wait until it breaks. Choose it.
We don’t wait to feel ready. We move anyway.
Glow Tip:
This is something simple you can start implementing in your day-to-day life.
Notice the next time you feel resistance around something you know you need to change.
Maybe it’s:
• Putting off a decision you’ve been overthinking for months
• Staying in a situation that doesn’t feel right but feels safe
• Telling yourself “now’s not the right time” when deep down, you know it is
• Feeling that quiet nudge, and immediately distracting yourself from it
Before you avoid it, pause. And ask yourself:
Is this actually not the right time, or am I just avoiding the discomfort of change?
Because the longer you ignore it, the louder it gets. And eventually, life will make the decision for you.
Instead of waiting for that, try this:
Lean into the feeling but change the story. The racing heart and tight chest. That’s not just fear. That’s also excitement and expansion.
Your body doesn’t know the difference, only your mind does.
So instead of telling yourself, “This is scary,” try, “This is exciting!”
This is the shift from avoiding change to choosing it and trusting that you can create your own safety in the discomfort.
When you step into alignment on your own terms, that’s how you start creating a life that actually feels as good as it looks.
And that’s what it means to shine from the inside.
If you’re realizing there’s an area of your life that’s been quietly asking for change, but you haven’t fully faced it yet, then…
Start here.
I created the 80% Life Detector to help you see exactly where you’re still holding back, settling, or avoiding the change you know you need to make.
Because you can’t shift what you’re not fully honest about.
👉 Download it here and get clear on what your next level is actually asking of you. https://www.runninginslippers.com/innerglowup
Want to Go Deeper?
My Identity Upgrade Series on YouTube breaks down exactly how to recalibrate the version of you that’s still operating from fear, overthinking, or subtle self-abandonment and step into the woman who can actually hold her next level.
Inside the playlist, you’ll learn how to:
• Stop playing small without forcing confidence
• Rewire limiting beliefs around money, success, love, and worth
• Move before you feel ready
• Leave environments that no longer align
• Regulate your nervous system for expansion
• Navigate the grief that comes with outgrowing your old identity
Through real-life stories like moving to Hawaii and leaving Corporate America, I show you how identity work becomes real, embodied, and non-negotiable.
Because growth is about becoming the woman who no longer tolerates less.
If you’re ambitious but still shrinking, capable but still bracing, this series is for you.
I’m Angie Hawkins, The Inner Glow Coach. I help high-achieving women stop overthinking, recalibrate their nervous systems, and embody the confident, grounded version of themselves who already knows she’s ready.
Your next level starts with a new identity.
https://youtu.be/H9-ms8y5IUY?si=KNgz8dN3XdyhfpKc
With Love & Fire,
Angie
https://www.innerglowbyangie.com/
Angie Hawkins is the Inner Glow Coach who transforms ambitious, self-aware women from settling for a life that looks good on paper to living one that actually feels good, from the inside out.
She works with women who’ve done the therapy, read the books, and tried the spiritual path but are still stuck between knowing and real change. Through nervous system healing and identity recalibration, she helps them build fierce self-trust so they can finally make the bold moves they’ve been talking themselves out of.
She is the author of Running in Slippers, a raw and vulnerable memoir about finding resilience after emotional rock bottom.
Angie has moved from Chicago to Hawaii on her own, jumped out of a helicopter and into the ocean Navy SEAL-style, bungee jumped, skydived, and cliff jumped, yet is still terrified about allowing herself to be seen.
Explore more of Angie’s work at https://www.innerglowbyangie.com/, including her memoir Running in Slippers and her The Identity Upgrade coaching program.
Want your own Glow Up moment? Book a Signature Glow Session with Angie here: https://www.runninginslippers.com/work-with-me
Connect with Angie on Instagram: @angiehawkins808
