Adopt the Always-Present Change in Our Lives

There was a time in my teens where I thought I knew everything.

There was a time in my 20s when I felt strong and indestructible.

There was a time in my 30s when I coveted playing with my children.

There was a time in my 40s when I realized I don’t know everything.

There was a time in my 50s when my knees started aching.

There was a time in my 60s when I developed more heart problems.

Now I am in my 70s and, looking back, I can see all these humongous changes in myself, changes so subtle I didn’t even know they were happening.

Change resides within us every day in everything we do or say. Sometimes it remains dormant (or so we think) to give us time to process the changes that have already happened. In reality, just as with the passage of time, our lives change from one day to another.

You can relate to what I’m saying by examining your own existence. You don’t have to go all the way back to your teens either. Your present-day life is giving you a bounty of change on a daily basis.

Want proof?

“How,” you ask?

Every interaction you have with someone or something represents a potential change to your current status quo. Turn on a TV anytime throughout the day and you’ll see a news broadcast or an interview that will change your perspective.

Read about our border crisis, and you will see the utter helplessness of immigrants to flee their country’s repressive measures and journey north to a land of freedom and opportunity.

Other changes are just as dramatic, perhaps, yet on a different scale.

Our view of each sunrise and sunset changes every day.
The non-stop passage of time shows us a second-by-second change.
The fickleness of our weather offers another display of change.
Our passions run hot and cold.

Change is inevitable.

The fact of the matter is:

Everything changes moment by moment and nothing can be done to change that!

Why is it then, that when these changes occur, we act surprised? We are sometimes excited by the changes, while at other times we are dejected. We are sometimes hesitant to accept change, fearful of what it may do to our future.

Photocredit : iStockphoto

In my many years of experience, both at work and at play, I have seen vast amounts of change. I have seldom seen anyone willingly embrace change.

That’s how this saying came to be in the first place:

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”

Sometimes we feel as though things change just for the sake of change. I will note, however, I have never seen that occur. Usually, there are well-defined reasons given for the change. The civil discourse used in dissecting the reasons for change is well thought out and justifiable.

We are reticent in our acceptance of the change. We seem attached to the “old way” of doing things. I have seen occasions where people have tried to sabotage the changes being implemented.

The easiest example I can provide for you comes from the political arena. One side is always fighting the other to endorse this change or that change. Seldom do the two sides work together to formulate a plan to help move our nation forward. (And that’s as political as this article gets.)

Have you ever gone to a visit with your family doctor and noticed changes? If you go to any hospital today, new procedures are enacted to ensure your safety as well as the staff’s safety.

Most of the time, we are well-served by the changes being incorporated by ourselves and others. Therefore, we should embrace change and make it a part of our daily lives. Our new mantra should be:

“Go with the flow!”

By adopting this psychology we may end up soothing our bruised egos, relieving some of the stress that builds within us, and help us realize that what we thought was critically important wasn’t as dire as we made it.

I’m not suggesting that change isn’t difficult at times. Being a businessman for 40+ years, I know that jug won’t hold water. I have experienced troubled times accepting change myself. After so many occasions of change happening all around me, I finally decided to change my reaction to change:

“Whatever! You do you, and I’ll do me.”

Changing my reactions to change made all the difference in the world for me. It wasn’t necessarily easier to accept change, but it did make it easier for me to search for areas of opportunity within those changes so I could make more money, or be more productive, or do something more easily.

In other words, I used the system to make things better for myself.

I recommend you give it a try yourself. You may find more happiness in this ever-changing world of ours.

Thanks for reading this!

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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