Why is it that change is so difficult for many of us? When we think of change, we are either excited or fearful. Change implies movement in our lives. It implies that the way we have viewed life and the considerations of life are now undergoing alteration. It means that we will have to adapt, adjust, and in many cases...grow! And sometimes we don't want to. But life by its very nature gives us a guarantee that change will be part of the process. We cannot always live in summer, because the seasons shift. And with the change of season, we have the opportunity to wear different clothes. As our life brings change, we have the opportunity to develop different attributes.
For some people, the antidote to problems is to change circumstances, change relationships, change jobs. The idea that constant change will bring solutions is the opposite and equally misconceived notion as resisting change. The purpose of change is to introduce new elements that stimulate growth and movement. However, after change we enter a settling period where roots are established in whatever the new state is. Life is a continuation of a multi-part process, whether we resist it or not. In this process change is one portion.
There are many examples of our resistance to change and the opposite. As teenagers, we often cannot wait to be 21. We want to hurry up so we can be "legal." After we have achieved that goal age is a change that many of us would rather forestall or not have to deal with at all. There are changes in our lives when the children grow up and move out. There are life changes such as marriage, birth, divorce, and death. Life is not static. It is continuously changing.
So how can we open ourselves to receiving the benefit of change? First of all, we need to recognize change as our ally and not our enemy. If we understand change as a signal that we have completed a level of growth and now need to move to the next level, we can be more accepting of it. Sometimes change is the catalyst that finally moves us from an entrenched position in life. It "blasts" us out of our rut. So we ought to be aware of the messengers of change. Are they in the form of opportunity, or do they come in the form of unwelcome guests? If they are the latter, we may want to review our life prior to the "change" and ask what clues were presented to us that we continued to resist. Once change is imminent, we need to determine how we can flow with it rather than resist it. What can we do to prepare more fully to embrace what it offers, and how can we use change to our advantage?
Change is a process we need to befriend. It is a vital part of life, like wind. By working with the changes that occur in our lives, we can overcome a tendency to resist or impede the life force as it moves forward. Whether the changes appear to be fair or not, they are forcing us to expand our awareness and the way we interact with some portion of our life. By embracing change, we open ourselves to exciting possibilities!