If I look back at the odd timeline of my life, one thing that jumps out is an overwhelming amount of change. In the past month alone, I’ve bought a new house (YAY!), got a new puppy (husky = insane), and started a new full-time job.
CHANGE
What do so many people hate about Change?
I Googled this- (don’t be surprised, I literally google everything. Like, the oddest questions)- and I found an article about why people resist change so much.
Some of the reasons that made the top ten list included:
Loss of control
Excess uncertainty
Everything seems different
Concerns about competence
More work
Change is definitely scary, and all of the above reasons are valid and can happen. I specially agree with more work after buying a house, haha. Besides moving, buying new furniture, learning how a water heater works, who knew all the responsibilities I had no clue about that come with being a homeowner…
However, I had a thought the other day that stuck with me and explains my perception. If you have a Facebook account, you’ve probably seen the little pop-up that comes on your screen and tells you, “On this day, 5 years ago…” On this certain day it was a photo of me in Argentina competing at a tournament. Back then, my entire world revolved around Taekwondo. Every choice I made from eating, to how late I could stay out on weekends and what activities I could do, had to fit in with my priority of being the best athlete I could possibly be.
While I absolutely loved my competitive career, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be a little boring if now- 7 years later- I was still doing the same exact thing, living the same exact life?”
(My new husky puppy named Leo)
If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living. – Gail Sheehy
A few years ago I read a book that helped shape my outlook on life. The book was called, “The Game is Life,” and it was based on the idea that life is just a computer simulation- people go into a game and live an entire life, they earn points for things they accomplish, and come back out to live their real lives with the lessons they learned. With multiple ‘lives’ to live, they were able to feel more free about what they wanted to do in their life each time. The careers, hobbies, places to live, experiences to participate in, were all choices they could choose to focus on intentionally to see what it was like.
While we might not live in a computer simulation, it helped me understand how I plan to live my life. We get an estimated amount of time to try and do all the things we care about in life. So, you have to accept that there will be a certain amount of time/years/months allotted to each ‘thing’ you want to focus on. You’re supposed to go through stages, and be ready to move on to the next one when it’s time. Love whichever one you’re at, and plan for where you want to go next.
That’s why I love change.
Loss of control -> You can take control by being intentional
Excess uncertainty -> Excess opportunity
Everything seems different -> Everything is a chance to learn something new
Concerns about competence -> Time to level up
More work -> New tasks
You can love it, or you can hate it. But either way, change is very likely going to happen. Don’t miss out just because you’re afraid.
Let’s Connect on Instagram: @SameryMorasTKD
