Change!

January 24, 2012

Of the many components that make up my life the only constant is change.  Well, God too, but I am thinking today about my life here on earth and not my spiritual life.  My life has held lots of changes over the past year.  I have moved several times, left jobs, gotten new jobs and am looking for a job again.  I have made new friends, left new friends, and held onto friends.  I have started classes, finished classes and signed up for new classes.  Things are constantly in a state of flux.

While change is not always easy, I do like change.   There are some changes coming in my life that I know are going to be very difficult, but as much as I am dreading them I am looking forward to them too.  Change is perhaps the ultimate challenge in life.  Change shows me what I am made of.  Change raises the bar.  Change presents opportunities.  Change gives me a fresh start.   Change allows me to grow personally, to make new friends, to explore ideas, and to accomplish things I never dreamed I could accomplish. 

In an evaluation at one of my former jobs, one of the things evaluated was our response to change.  My manager commented that I embraced change as a good thing and didn’t run from it and he felt like it had helped me to do my job well.  I was pleased with my evaluation in general, but I was especially glad it was noticed that I like change.  

I think the most important aspect of change is it keeps us flexible; it keeps us from staying stuck in unproductive habits.  Our willingness to be flexible indicates our willingness to be teachable.  And as long as we are teachable we can continue to grow as a person.  Zig Ziglar says,  “We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin 'thinkin' which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes.”  A hardening of the attitudes indicates a person who is no longer teachable and ultimately, they are limited in what they will be able to accomplish.

Change forces us to examine our life, look at where we are and where we want to be, and adapt to accomplish our goals.  Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”   If Socrates is right, and I think there is a lot of wisdom in that quote, then change is one element of life that makes it worth living.