Changing

[Susannah]

The Art of Changing


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Where Love Abides

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[Susannah]

Change is to the human being what the metamorphosis is to the caterpillar. It is the inevitable cycle of life. If there is not change, there is no life." The Art of Changing

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God. Romans 12:2 TEV

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If you are ready to change, this is the book for you. Susan pulls no punches in her book. While gentle and caring, she does not coddle you. but helps you see with clarity what is needed for change. This book is crystal clear, and to the point. It does not require you to wade through hundreds and hundreds of pages, losing the whole point, as with many other authors. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a better life.

 

[Susannah]

Becoming Christian
The Art of Changing
Previously entitled "After the Baptism."

Becoming Christian Article

 

[Susannah]

Preface to the First Edition​

For years I taught a self-help course called Addiction to Love. At the end of the class I always passed out a list of self-help books. Inevitably, at least one student would raise her hand and say, “I have read most of these books and they don’t help. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

Speaking to these students after class, I often discovered that they were stuck because they didn’t understand one fundamental truth—our lives don’t get better when we read a book or go to a class; our lives get better when we put forth the effort to change.

Is change important? Yes! It is a natural process from which we get a feeling of self-worth and well-being. Unfortunately, sometimes the natural process of changing gets interrupted usually because we are flung into survival mode by difficult circumstances.

This was certainly true for me. By the time I was thirty-two years old, I had not grown emotionally or socially since my adolescence. My maturation had become fixated. I was a creature of habit, not a human being. I was lonely and out of control. I hurt others and I hurt myself. Yet, despite all the pain I was in, I was afraid to change. I was terrified of the unknown.

When my therapist asked what was holding me back from getting better, I said, “I’m afraid to get well. Mental health is unfamiliar. It’s a mystery that lies beyond a closed door and I have no peephole. That mystery feels like a beast ready to devour me if I open the door. What if getting better is worse than being sick? It can happen. Besides, I think I’ve bonded to my vision of myself as a victim. I prefer self-pity to self-esteem.”

This honest appraisal was the beginning of my own personal transformation, which has culminated in this book. While it is meant to be a self-help book, it is also, in many respects, the story of my life.

Why have I written this book? I have written it because I love to teach. I only wish the woman I am today could reach back in time and teach the young woman I was. I would try to help her see what is so clear to me now. That change is important. That there is nothing to be afraid of. That dreams come true if we change: That it is never too late to change, and the sooner we get started, the easier it is to adjust to the changes we make.

Most of all, that we are not alone as we make these changes here are what Joseph Campbell calls “invisible hands,” which come to our aid when we are ready to change.

Addendum 2020​

To my Christian Friends: I wrote this before I found Christ. I believe now that God wants us to reach our full potential so we can serve him better and share the gifts he gave us. By design, this will also make you feel good. Sometimes this means we have to change. Remember that the Holy Spirit will be on this journey with you.

 

[Susannah]

Introduction​

There are thousands of self-help books on the market. We have more information about the human psyche than ever before. This is the age of self-awareness. In addition, we now have a variety of solutions to our problems. Unlike the first generation of self-help books, any current psychology book worth its salt offers a recovery program that, if followed, will eliminate whatever problem we have.

Despite all of this information, many people still get stuck. They are unable to implement a recovery program. They either can’t get started or they can’t stick with it, and professionals have a hard time explaining this. We know that the ability to change has a lot to do with personality type, timing, childhood wounds, and the nature of the problem one has to change, but we still cannot completely analyze or explain why people get stuck. I think this is why the art of changing is such a neglected topic. It’s a mysterious process and no one really has any definitive answers as to how to get started and how to stay motivated.

While I don’t have all the answers either, I do believe it’s time to focus more attention on changing because changing is the bridge between the problem and the solution. Without the ability to change, we can never outgrow our problems, feel good about ourselves, or be successful.

 

[Susannah]

Other books about change . . .