Embracing Change
Posted 7 months ago at 3:00 pm. 0 comments
For most people, “change” is regarded as one of those seven dirty words you can’t say on TV. Why? Because change can be a really terrifying ordeal to work through! Who wants to change when everything can stay the same it is now? Why should we even bother with improving our lives? Of course, these two questions are for each person to decide for his- or herself. As for me, I’ve always regarded change as something vital for my life. Change is definitely something I look forward to!
Change can either be gradual or sudden. Gradual change would be along the lines of starting an exercise program and carrying it out for six months. You would see a few immediate results from your workouts, but the fruit of your labor would come later on down the line. Other examples of gradual change would be learning an unfamiliar musical instrument, writing a romance novel, or reading five books on your favorite subject.
People are usually accepting of gradual change. Why? Because it’s controllable! Using our above example, you can totally decide if you want to hit the gym or not. (And, well, for most people, the decision is obvious!) When you have a degree of control over something - anything - if change happens, it’s suddenly not so bad. You can always revert back to how you were at the drop of a hat, and nothing would be too different than how you started.
Sudden change, however, is what drives people mad. Sudden change is - you guessed it! - sudden changes in your life that normally involves circumstances out of your control. If the sudden change is in your control, it usually involves an incredible lifestyle switch. Examples of sudden change would be divorce, a death of a close friend or family member, or relocating to a new city. Sudden change is heavily characterized by sweeping emotions, new role learning, and total life adjustment to new circumstances.
Sudden change is scary! No wonder most people don’t like change! If you had to deal with the aforementioned changes every single day, life would become unbearable. It’s for this reason that people outright reject all change to their lives, instead wishing “everything would always stay the same”. To them, change is the epitome of death to themselves. If their world changed, they themselves would change, and to change themselves would mean to change their life. That’s something these people don’t want to do, at all costs.
But is rejecting gradual and sudden changes really a way to live? To me, that’s the #1 way to completely stall out your life. Myself, I believe change = growth. A life changing experience - which can be anything from the birth of a son or daughter to becoming more healthy to learning a foreign language - is something that can promotes growth as an individual. It makes life richer, more rewarding. Constantly tackling changes in your life head on can make life an incredibly fascinating experience.
Without change, there can’t be any growth. If everything constantly stayed the same, your life would literally stagnate. Your earthly existence wouldn’t get any worse, of course, but it wouldn’t get any better either. And that’s okay! Some people choose to keep the same job for 40 years. It’s their choice. Some people don’t move out of the area where they grew up; some people keep the same friends they’ve had since high school or college; some people hold on to their childhood values for dear life as they grow older. That’s fine - you are completely entitled to do that.
But can you really grow if you stay in the same area, hold onto the same values, and keep the same job you have? You can, to an extent. There’s some wiggle room in there for improvement, and you can definitely learn a new thing or two. But you can never experience real growth if you don’t bash through your comfort zone and change your life completely every once in a while.
Shake things up! Read a new book on an obscure subject. Travel to a place you’ve always wanted to explore. Write that country song you’re itching to get out of your brain. Start up a blog on your favorite subject. Join a brand new religion for the thrill of learning how it functions. Do something that changes your life.
It’s up to you to embrace a life of constant change, excitement, and thrills. What’s your decision?
