Change

 

"I don't like change." That is a phrase I have heard many times, usually from older people who are being honest.

I, personally, do not like change that makes my life unavoidably more difficult, but otherwise I find change fun, stimulating and good.

I have been thinking about what people really mean when they say they don't like change. Some people prefer to act out of habit, or routine, but I believe that is dangerous because there is always the possibility of something unexpected happening, leaving me vulnerable, if I am not paying attention. Change surrounds me. It is three, maybe four dimensional.

Change requires me to rethink my thoughts and actions. 

It is natural to fear what I do not understand, so instead of dealing with that fear, I can refuse to accept that it exists, or blame it on someone or something that turns fear into anger. Anger becomes the shield that stands between me and fear (a.k.a.change.)

There is the possibility that I simply cannot, or choose not, to think. Reasoning out a solution might be simple if I gave it a chance. Many changes are positive experiences, like learning to look at the weather app on a cell phone before I go outside in order to know how to dress. That requires learning how to use my tools, remembering to use them and then actually doing it before making a decision, a three step process that most of us can adapt to by the time we are three or four years old.

I think conquering a dislike of change has more to do with choosing to take control of my own life. I can confront myself on whether I don't like change, or just refuse to believe it is a reality. 

I don't have to like change to know that if it is a reality, I cannot avoid dealing with it and be successful, so why not yield and just accept that change is part of living? Focusing on whether or not I like it is an unnecessary stressor.