Change, whether forced upon us or chosen, is necessary more often than not. The times we currently live in are both troublesome and magical from my eyes. We live in a time of economic and housing troubles, as well as an educational system that is in shambles…and to top all of that off it the last ten years has been full of war and natural disasters.
But hold on a minute, this is not and will not be a post about how horrible things are…that would be stupid. This is about how great things come from great hardship and how great things come from change, whether that change is brought on by force (natural disasters for example) or by choice (choosing to move across the country).
From my point of view, real change, and more often than not only drastic change, has a true and long lasting effect. As humans, we get so stuck in comfort zones that almost all change leaves us in some amount of discomfort; yet change is happening everyday and all the time.
This takes me back to my comment above, that I believe good change (and most innovation by the way) come from true hardship. Hardship pushes us outside of our comfort zones, it forces us to move, to zig, to think, to lean…rather than stand stagnant. If we could understand this, and embrace change, as well as the hardship that comes with it, we would have more contentment in life.
Most of us, myself included, normally go through a great amount of stress which leads to physical discomfort when going through “change”. So, if we could learn to look at hardship as a learning opportunity, as a change agent or as catalyst for growth, and not allow ourselves the chance for over stressing…we would be far better off.
A physical example of change where we stress out in the short term, but after it is said and done we are better off might be something like having to go in for surgery on something…there will be temporary stress, discomfort, and possibly pain but the net result is that we are better off. I understand this may not be the best example, but EVERY opportunity is a learning opportunity…good WILL come from a situation if YOU/ WE allow for it!
Shift your thinking a bit and view change as a door of opportunity, meet it head on and treat that change as the next adventure, the next chapter of your life which could lead to something more amazing than you had ever hoped for!! Cheers!
Hmmm, I read this post and then reread it not once but twice. I understand completely where you are coming from with your thoughts…I think. But unfortunately, it’s just not that way for everyone. For instance, in the wake of the disaster in Japan I watched this morning on the news a random interview of an elderly lady who was crying because she lost everything! She said she didn’t know what she was going to do now because she was an old lady and could not start over from the beginning again. I’m not sure how her family fared but for her sake I hope they survived since the Japanese culture treats their elderly family and citizens far much better than we do here in the US.
And how about people who have taken their life savings to start a business just to have that business not thrive for one reason or another? Or how about that couple with children who while both working very hard to give their family a home, etc. realize when it’ time for college their kids better be smart enough for academic or athletic scholarships or a college education isn’t going to happen in the near future because even with student loans, no one’s credit rating is good enough to secure more money from some financial institution?
You are right about one thing, hardship does move us out of our comfort zones. And if you are young enough and enterprising enough maybe the next door is the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s just not that way for everyone, not even in America – The Land of Opportunity.
I am serious when I say this:
– you are never too young or old to start saving or investing any money that you can toward your future
– you need to convince your brain that credit cards do not exist to use frivolously nor at any time if you cannot see your way to pay off the balance each month
– if you have kids you need to start saving for college the day they are born and make it sound exciting for them to get cash gifts to put in the college fund each year instead of toys and extra clothes and the newest techie thing just because their friends have one
– you need to have insurance. If you think it can’t happen to you, take it from me, it can and will and you better be prepared
– if you have the next great idea to sell, make sure you dedicate even more time on how you are going to distribute your product and to whom
– you need to have faith in God and/or in someone who loves you and has your back at all times. It will get you through many stressful periods
I promise you Matt I’m not trying to be a drag. And I’d like to share something with you that I try to live by and this is what will get you through and make you successful:
“When ye are only in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”
Cheri, well thought out and well articulated, I appreciate your thoughts!! And I agree my post isn’t for everyone because to me it involves a mind shift, thinking out of the norm, out of the box. My goal is to have less, need less, want less. So regarding some of your scenarios I understand both sides, but I’d also have to say that if I lost Annie, the love of my life and the reason why I bust my ass, I would cry and be distraught as hell…however, I would know she is in a better place, and I would know that my journey with her happened the way it was suppose to.
I’m probably not expressing myself well enough, but between 5 and 25 years old my life basically sucked…really! No need to get into details but it did, and I can’t change it. In my late 20’s I started my evolution toward ownership of who I am, where I am, how I feel, and what I think. If I think I am miserable…I will be. In the face of hardship, if I can stand strong, and have my thought be focused on the good that will come…than I win.
Life is 100% choices…we choose how we react when we win the lottery just as we choose how we react when we lose “everything”. I know that’s quite a spread there but it still all comes down to choices. Does this mean I will be happy if I lose Annie…certainly not, but it means that the change that would bring to my life can be good or bad…which is up to me. Again, I completely see your point, and just offer thoughts from my journey and how powerful change and choice really are!! Cheers Cheri!! Thanks again!