The wistful comment: “I just wish everything could stay the same” is commonly the first response when reality begins setting in that change is in order (coming soon).
The tragic news is that “Everything is Moving” (ALWAYS) and that this world is and always has been in a state of transformation. We cannot seal ourselves from “external spanners” . . . Regardless of our efforts to seal our lives in a vacuum, the truth remains: Stuff happens!
We can train ourselves to deal with change in 2 ways:
- Intentionally live life embracing change with enthusiasm . . . a proactive way of living . . . Understanding that the best defense is a good offense . . . Rolling with the river (the tide) and respond to the issues and opportunities that come.
OR
- Join the “Haters of Change” movement. Deny change . . . Live your life in struggle resisting the inevitable til death. This is a “Best offense is a great Defense” with the goal of keeping the other team (change) from scoring . . . all the while failing to score yourself . . . the end result is a very low scoring game that is excruciatingly difficult.
Haters of change tend to build up a measure of personal resentment. They then concentrate on finding allies (other Haters of change) who will co-conspire with them to organize a movement to keep things as they are . . . This is very engaging for them as the commiseration leads to camaraderie . . . and next thing ya know, they’ve invested their whole life energy in this war against change.
The uncomfortable by-product of this is that the rest of the world continues forward and these Haters of Change alienate themselves from everyone else. They may abandon the things and people who REALLY matter in their lives as they become more and more obsessed with saving their world from change.
Friends disappear . . . and non-haters of Change begin avoiding these folks.
Where I am going with this . . .
I believe the magical mystery of all of this centers around an individual person’s grasp on what really MATTERS in his life. What’s more important . . .
Fighting Change?
or
Fighting to create change?
Zac Brown says in a song: “If you can’t change it, you’ve gotta let it go!”
That’s the magic pill . . . Knowing when “it’s over” and acknowledging that “It’s OVER” is the simple ingredient in life that’s so easy (yet so difficult).
Sure! Stand up for what you believe intentionally.
Just measure everything you’re doing against the scale of: “Am I fighting an inevitable change which is distracting me from what/who matters in my life?”
If so . . . Pull the trigger and LET IT GO!
Let change happen because even if you don’t, it’s going to . . .
So . . . If you’re in a place where change is in order, go on the offense and make something POSITIVE happen.
Just saying!
Best,
b