The issue with change is not so much what we think of it, but rather how we respond to it. In all honesty, there are probably few words that can throw up such a kaleidoscope of emotions and differing interpretations for us.
On the one hand, we find change exciting. We all wish our lives to be ‘different’ in some way, after all, no positive progress can be made without change. However, the word also holds some very negative connotations.
Synonyms for the word ‘changeable’ include: ‘volatile’, ‘uncertain’, ‘unstable, ‘unsettled’. All of those can make us feel ‘vunerable’, ‘unsure’ and / or ‘insecure’.
There is a small corner in all of us which likes to feel safe and secure and change is not compatible with that. However, once change has occurred, we very often call it ‘evolution’, ‘progress’, ‘expansion’, ‘growth’ or ‘advancement’, and this throws up a far more positive set of emotions.
Therefore, it seems that it is not change itself which scares us so much as the transition process - that step into the unknown. We like the stability of things as they are ‘now’. Now is somehow comforting because we know what to expect.
Perhaps it is not change that we fear so much as the loss of control that we associate with change. Change inherently carries an element of risk. Sometimes that perceived risk is so big that it keeps us where we are now despite our unhappiness with our current situation.
Then, there are times when we have probably all been guilty of change for change’s sake. We change the color of our hair, we change the layout of our bedroom, we may even change where we work.
I used to change jobs every 3 or 4 months, as I couldn’t find the ‘right job’ for me. At some level, I believed that when I found the ‘right job’ all of my unhappiness would go away. However, someone once pointed out to me that you can move to the moon if you want but everything that really matters would still be the same, because you are still taking ‘you’ with you.
Why? We do it to avoid making the changes that really matter in our lives. In reality, it may be our choice of career which is the cause of our unhappiness, but we will change our hair color ‘just to cheer ourselves up’, because that is an easy and manageable change for us to cope with.
Seeing as change is inevitable, why not embrace it? Use change as an opportunity to evaluate what your life, and to get yourself back on track and focused. Use it as your key to success. How else are we going to grow?
I will leave you with a quote by Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
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This article was edited and distributed by Mark Walters on behalf of Mandy Swift, who was the original author. Learn More : Secrets Of Success
Tags: change, personal development, self help, self improvement, success