“Don’t let the concept of change scare you as much as the prospect of remaining unhappy”
The other day at work they moved the coffee cups. I know.
I’m chatting away with a customer about whether she takes whole milk or soy, as I effortlessly reach behind me without looking, as I have done for years. I feel around for a moment, only to realize that I am only touching air. I feel the panic set in as I frantically look behind me. About thirty seconds later my eyes avert to the right where those little white cups are sitting, and I feel the agitation begin to settle in.
I am not a fan of change. Despite moving to a new dorm every year of college, almost every detail in my room has stayed the same (except for the three throw pillows that adorn my comforter.) I eat eggs for breakfast every day, I have lived on the same street my entire life, and I religiously get broccoli cheddar soup from Panera.
When big changes have entered my life I have done everything within the power of my 5’3 frame to push them away. I like my routine. I like my life. I like my comfort zone. Me and my comfort zone have gotten quite acquainted with each other and we are pretty good without change, so thanks but no thanks.
I have reached a place in my life, a place I think a lot of us are at, where I’m realizing that there is more change happening than ever before. And these are real life changes, aside from the coffee shop moving the cups, although I still find that to be incredibly frazzling. We are choosing careers, we are moving perhaps to an apartment on our own for the first time, or back in with Mom and Dad. Or maybe Mom and Dad are leaving our childhood homes and we’re off with them to the unknown. We are learning how to handle money, about what a 401k even means and how we can properly budget our money so that we can still enjoy being young and going out on the weekends. We are visiting new places and venturing out on our own. We are navigating friendships and relationships as we have more confidence and control over who we want included in our lives. We are figuring out where to start, and what path to head down. This is the beginning of a domino effect of changes, and we need to buck up, or else we are going to fall behind, and be left there.
I am not the same person I was as when I first entered college. I am not the same person I was as when I was in the sixth grade. None of us have consistently stayed the same person; it’s just not possible. We have been undergoing changes our entire life, whether we have truly realized it or not. We have developed into the people we are now, and we are going to continue to develop into hopefully even better, but different, people.
Instead of looking at the changes we are currently going through as an overwhelming period in our lives that we need to have completely figured out, let it be a time of beautiful transformation. Taking our energy to focus on building the new, opens a door of endless possibilities. Leaving parts of our lives behind will always be difficult. But we must keep up with our current selves. We owe it to ourselves. Change is uncomfortable, it is scary and it is intimidating.
Change is both painful and beautiful. Let it be both. Embrace both and be ready for the new adventures it will bring you. If you were told that your life would always be exactly as it is now, would you be okay with that? Most likely not. Change is what brings us progress and new experiences. Change is the foundation of working to move onward and upward.
Looking back on my own life, I can’t think of a single change that did not have at least one positive attribute in the long run. I can think of plenty of changes that have brought about countless positive effects and possibilities into my life. So maybe, change is just the very thing we need.