Change. What a funny concept.
We all claim to believe in change, yet so many of us aggressively oppose it, myself included.
And why? Why do we so adamantly deny change? We know it's inevitable, healthy even, yet we run the other way.
Because of familiarity. We crave routine, we earn for consistency. Even those of us who say we love change, it's hard for us to accept and adapt.
We get set in our ways, our jobs, our relationships, the places we live. And we stick with those because it's comfortable, even if we're unhappy with where we are. Sometimes we're blinded by the reality that change is needed because we're convinced that knowing something well means it's right.
We like to warp the pros as being more heavily weighted than they actually are. Living in one city your whole life is comfortable, maybe you're close to family, you have a stable job, you understand the dynamic of the environment, of the people. Yet, could you be missing out on something that could make you thrive? Is there another city where your career could flourish, one where you'd experience new things, make new friends?
I don't say this to encourage a constant doubt of satisfaction or place in life. Rather, to inspire, to voice that we need to be observant of the factors constantly revolving around our lives. Are they creating a better you? At the end of the day, do you feel hopeful?
Life is too short to rely on an exhausted familiarity because the truth is that life will never stay the same. We cannot depend on a consistency that will undoubtedly cripple in on itself. Trying to maintain these factors that revolve around our life is pointless, so many aren't in our control.
And with that being said, we need to support the people we love in changing as well. Holding them back or down out of the name of consistency is selfish, it's wrong. Why shouldn't we want the best for ones we care about the most?
Trust me, I know it's hard. It's hard to have to constantly remind yourself that change can be good. Many if not all forms of change can hurt, discourage, and trigger. But in the endgame, we have to stay open to change. We have to dip our toes in the pool of possibilities that are to come. We are evolving, blossoming, changing every day. It only makes sense our situations do the same.
How do we stay open to change? We have to continually assess our lives. Is this job, friendship, life, holding you down or holding you back? If you have some significant doubt, it's time to make a change. It doesn't have to be drastic, some dramatic display. Maybe it's a small fine tune, and other times it's a system reset. Both are challenging in their own ways. At the end of the day, there is no real truth to change.
Only that it has to happen for us to become the people we want to be.
Until then, we are living in a past, familiar, moment that has already slipped through our fingers.