Change is only difficult when you can’t let go of the past. Judith Valente, who suddenly lost her job as a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal but now happily writes poetry and leads spiritual retreats for busy professionals, says the breakthrough in her thinking occurred when she realized life is a continuum. Valente says that if you “lean into the mystery of life” you are less likely to linger in your disappointment when unforeseen events set you off in another direction.

If life is a continuum, then every event that happens will lead you to what’s next. Maintaining a curious eye will help you see how the present moment, no matter how frustrating events and people can be, plays into the flow of your life. Your career, your relationships, and your self-concept are all interconnected in the course of your evolution; when one of these elements shifts so must the others.

Once your life changes, whether you chose the change or not,  you will be hard-pressed to recognize all the forces at work in the world around you while you make your way down the road. You have to give reality a chance to unfold before your eyes. Can you trust the process? The quicker you can accept and even enjoy the continuum of life, the more you will successfully flow with what you can’t control.