Although change can sometimes bring challenges, change is a fact of life – and it is essential for us to adopt skills for navigating it. Learning how to ride the tide of change and to use changing circumstances as a means to achieve personal growth is an essential component of successful aging.
The Brady Bunch had it right when they sang:
When it’s time to change, then it’s time to change.
Don’t fight the tide, go along for the ride.
Don’t ya see?
When it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange,
Who you are and what you’re gonna be.
Clinging tightly to the past, either in your reactions to new circumstances or expectations for how life should be, is a recipe for disappointment. Rather than helping you achieve continued personal growth, resisting change actually shrinks your world by isolating you from your peers and others in the world around you.
The next time change occurs, “rearrange” your perspective surrounding the changed situation and consider how this shift can help you achieve your personal goals. Growing into your future self is a powerful form of progress.
