Change is a constant in our lives. We grow older. We change our jobs, our place of residence, what we like to eat, the technology we use, and how we use it…the list goes on. Change is sexy, bewildering, scary, exciting, costly, and invigorating, all at once, yet it’s often the most difficult aspect of our lives to deal with. It often puts us through some of the worst angst-ridden moments we’ve ever experienced.
Right now, my life is all about change. Some changes are ones I made. Others were thrust upon me, whether I wanted them or not. Then there are the changes to the world I live in…the ones close at hand as well as the bigger, global picture.
There are things I’m learning (or re-learning) through this time of change. I’ll be the first to admit that not all of them are positive. That’s not to say that all of them are negative, although it often feels that way. The mirror of self-reflection is usually much harsher than the lenses through which my friends and family view me. There are plenty of bright spots in life, and I need to seize and enjoy them to the fullest.
Change itself is a catalyst
The biggest, scariest, and at the same time most liberating thing I’ve re-learned from these experiences is that change itself is a catalyst. It provides options. I can do any of the following, just to name a handful:
- Accept it as a challenge to make improvements or see it as an obstacle.
- Do nothing and allow myself to be swept away by others’ actions and opinions.
- Use it to reinvent myself, or at least my perceptions and behaviors.
What I make of it, the lessons I choose to learn from it, are entirely up to me. So bring it on, change. You might scare the crap out of me, and I might have to lie doggo long enough to catch my breath after some of the body blows you’re dealing, but I refuse to back down from you.