As creatures of habit, we grow attached to the way we do things, places, people, and our memories. But sometimes we forget that what worked for us for us in the past doesn't necessarily work later on or serve our purposes or needs.
Embracing Change
©2007 Dawn Gale Prince/SureWoman.com
C
hange is at the root of our daily lives and without it we would not learn and grow and make the transitions necessary to live life to the fullest. It propels us forward into our lives, helping us to move forward, and yet some of us try to resist it or avoid it all together, prefering to stay tucked in our comfort zones.
To resist it is to stop the personal growth process. A prime example is Miss Havisham from Charles Dicken's classic, "Great Expectations", who lets a single event define their her life. Jilted just before her wedding, she's unable to move on from the experience and remains stuck in the past.
As if frozen in time, at the very moment of her heartbreak, she stops all clocks at twenty past nine, and spends everyday wearing the one shoe and now-yellowed, wedding dress - fragile and falling apart at the seams - much like her dusty, cob-webbed memories. The world around her has changed, but she clings to what could have been. Although Miss Havisham is an exaggerated, fictional character, the point is that if you don't let go of the past, life can pass you by and you become dusty and gray. But If you are contstantly evolving, there is no time for the cobwebs to settle on you.
Yes, change is hard. As creatures of habit, we grow attached to the way we do things, places, people, and our memories. But sometimes we forget that what worked for us in the past doesn't necessarily work later on or serve our purposes or needs.
Sometimes fear is at the root of of resisting new things. Fear of trying something new and having it not work out; fear of being alone if we got out of that bad relationship; fear of letting go of our memories and fear of finding ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings. And that is where courage comes in. Reaching deep inside and mustering up all the strength and discipline to step outside of your comfort zones.
To embrace change, a lot of times, we need to alter our perspective and our thought process to see the benefits of moving in a new direction. Seeing life from a different perspective can expand our world and broaden our horizons.
We all need to adapt to new things because that is part of the workings of the inner and outer life; it's how we build character and successfully chart our personal journeys, and - in the process- find the meaning of life.
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