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I have experienced a lot of changes in my work life and family life where I had to make the form, nature, content and the future course of something completely different from what it was. I have seen people change their names or change their opinion but there were many people who changed the course of history through their struggle and perseverance.
In fact change is one of the permanent features of human way of life. In this essay I want to show various facets and beliefs of change.
For many of us change is something that presses us to move out of our comfort zone. Often it is harder done than thought. Change in our disposition, conduct and behaviour brings progress and prosperity. I agree with George Bernard Shaw who said that progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
Change to me is destiny-filtered, heart grown and faith built. Often it is said that change is inequitable; not a respecter of persons. Change is for the better or for the worse, depending on where and how we view it. Therefore change can be said to have an adjustment period which is different for different individuals.
Motivated individuals are never afraid of change and I have always supported this because I believe that God will never take anything away from us without the intention of replacing it with something better.
Despite all this, change is sometimes uncomfortable because changing from one state to the next upsets our control over outcomes. This is why change has a ripping effect on all those who would not let go. Therefore I think flexibility is the key. I am told that even a roller coaster ride can be fun if you know when and how to lean and create new balance within the change.
One of the best quotes I found on change is, “Let go of things you cannot change, and focus on things you can.” But one of the ways to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the song and dance of change.
Change is definitely needed when all the props and practices of the past no longer work. You cannot ‘just hang in there’ but you have to learn to make it happen. No one grows or progresses in retreat but through endurance and perseverance. All my changes in my work and family life were never fixed by crying, worrying or mental tread-milling. My changes were won by persistence so it was my choice to become a victor and not the victim.
I found that every moment that changed my life also changed me who I was. However, I was never afraid to fall apart because it was my opportunity to rebuild myself the way I wished I had been all along.
Change was awkward for me at first. It was a muscle that developed to abundantly enjoy the dynamics of the life set before me. It pushed me to my personal best and I had to call all my strength and skills to manoeuvre it. I soon found out that change was not for chickens and it definitely has causalities for those defeated individuals.
It is worth remembering that every positive change in our life begins with a clear, unequivocal decision that we are either going to do something or stop doing something. So making a big life change is pretty scary for some of us but once we know that there is one thing that ‘regret’ is even scarier than change then we begin to take proper action to bring about the needed change.
I believe that any change will cause us to churn or to learn. Change for me has always changed the speed of time. Time as we know is so slow for the reluctant and yet it is a whirlwind for those of us who embrace it. Therefore change is more fun to do than to be done to. Change seeks a better place at the end and is complete when we realize we are different from everyone else.
My life has been the ultimate result of the choices I made and the very moment I did not like my life I knew that it was time for me to change and start making better choices.
I knew that change was measured by its impact on all who were connected to it. Change is charged when we are dissatisfied with where we are. Change does not look for a resting-place but it wants the next launching point. Hence, change is only a waste for all who do not learn anything from it.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Says Barrack Obama, the past President of the United States.
Therefore, I believe that our life does not get better by chance but it does get better by change. It is possible that by changing the inner attitude of our minds, we can change the outer aspects of our lives. If we do not change then we do not grow and if we do not grow I do not think we are living well.
For over eighty years I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I came to know that I needed to change something. Very often a change of set is needed much more than the change of scene.
I have never doubted that ordinary but good and thoughtful citizens cannot change the world if they tried. It has always been this group that brought about the needed change in this world. If we cannot change the direction of the wind while sailing we can adjust our sail to always reach our destination. But let us be reminded by Deepak Chopra that all great changes are preceded by chaos.
Change happens in the hearts and minds of people first before it is proclaimed by our actions and works. If we can change before we have to change then there will be less pain. We all know that pain can change us but that does not mean it has to be a bad change. We can take that pain and turn it into pleasure and then wisdom.
Life, as we are often reminded, is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So wise people love everyone who treat them right, forgive the ones who do not and begin to believe that everything happens for a reason. If we get a chance then we must take it. If it changes our life, then let it. I am not saying that all this is easy but I can promise that it would be worth it.
Change can flow or jerk, depending on our acceptance or resistance to it. Change uses the power invested in the unseen to reinvent what we see. Change is like driving in a fog; we cannot see very far but we can make the whole trip that way if we persist.
If we want to change the world we must first of all change ourselves. John F Kennedy believed that change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.
Let me conclude by saying that we should get to make the choice to take the chance if we want our life to change. Therefore, it is wise to make a wish, take a chance and make a change. If it does not challenge you, it won’t change you.
One of the happiest moments in my life has been when I found the courage to let go of what I could not change. So isn’t it crazy how we can look back in our life and realize how much everything has changed?
The number of people that have left from our life, the new ones that have entered and the old ones that have stayed on are staggering indeed. The memories are hard to forget and the moments are still in sight.
These are some of the powers of change. Change is here to stay.
