Comfortable With Change

Said no one ever — not truthful at least. I hear you in the front row, yes, you with the unwavering confidence of youth. I see the refutation in your eyes, and I politely ask you to hear me out first.

I know what you’re thinking, “I can take on any challenge. Nothing can stop me. Bring it!” And maybe that’s true, but it does not mean it will be smooth sailing. In fact, it more than likely won’t be, and that’s because of the unfamiliar, the unforeseeable, and the curve balls that come out of nowhere — change.

As humans, we yearn for homeostasis, our bodies literally react to our environments (against our wills) to reach a state of comfort. This is one of the few things I remember from my science courses in undergrad, but it does not take a degree to acknowledge that if it’s too hot we seek shade, it it’s too cold we seek shelter, and if it’s too different, we seek the known. That is to say, as humans, we reject change.

We naturally gravitate to the comfortable, that which does not challenge us, but rather keeps us in a metaphorical room from which stepping out of is tedious at best, and nearly impossible at worst. This is our comfort zone.

“Change is the only constant in life.”

Heraclitus

For all that we do, consciously and subconsciously to remain in this comfort zone by avoiding change, our efforts are futile. That is because, if there is one guarantee in this life besides death, it is that sooner or later we will face some degree of change — ironically, it is the only constant in life.

Think about it. Growing up every year you experienced different teachers, different subjects, and likely different classmates. If your family moved, you had different homes. Eventually you move out of your parents’ home, join the workforce, and if you’re lucky, you find someone who you get to build a family with — your life is filled with changes.

So why then, resist it? Why not expect it and welcome it with open arms? Why not embrace it? To that end, returning to the young soul in the front row, I am here to tell you that you’re right. You can accomplish your goals. You can overcome that adversity. You can do it. I just want you to know one thing.

It won’t be easy, nothing in life worth doing ever has been. Whatever goal you may have, whether it be getting in shape, climbing out of a hole, or even meeting new people, it will require change — and thus discomfort. And there may be times when it will feel like too much, when you will want to give up, when you will want to return to your comfort zone. It is then, when you will need to remember that, there will always be change, and it may not be comfortable, but it will be worth it.

Tell me, how do you feel about change? Do you resist it, or do you embrace it? When was the last time you faced it, and how did you approach it?

(Featured Image by: Kristian Design)