"Progress is impossible without change." ~ Walt Disney
I want you to look in the mirror and tell me what you see.
Do you look older? Does your skin have more wrinkles? Do you notice dark circles around your eyes or white hair on your head?
You have seen massive changes for a decade. There are a lot of them that you probably don't like – changes due to the aging of your body. Changes that you can't resist.
Now look again in the mirror. Do you notice a more confident person? Someone who is confident, optimistic and happy in life?
It happened to me a few weeks ago when I was preparing for an interview. As a preparation, I spoke to myself in the mirror, and when I paused I had that moment of mindfulness where all I noticed was my confidence, optimism and positive energy.
This one revelation completely changed my view of change.
That day in the mirror I saw progress. I saw a shy, fearful child – one who was scared and bullied – turned the script completely upside down in order to become a confident, happy, and confident person.
We all react differently to changes. Some of us are looking for it. Some don't mind, but won't actively look for it. And others don't like it.
Regardless of where we are, I can bet that none of us like it when changes are forced upon us. We fight it because we feel out of control and the unknown is generally scary. But what if taking back control was a matter of perspective?
The change takes place automatically. It happens whether we like it or not, and we have no choice but to face it. It's up to us to make the most of it. We decide how we react to it and what we do with it.
Think of progress, not change
Every progress is synonymous with change, but not every change is synonymous with progress. Losing your job is change. Choosing a career that better suits your values and passions is progress.
Progress makes us happy. It makes us jump out of bed on purpose and on purpose every day. Progress drives us forward. It has to be worked on. Unlike changes, it's not automatic.
When I look back on all the progress I've made, I always take a break and smile and fill myself with joy. It also renews my intent for my own development.
You can't sit on your ass and hope to make progress. It takes exercise. It asks you to enter the hours. And in doing so, it drives you to grow. To become someone capable of solving any problems that may come your way.
Progress pays off tenfold in the end! And everything starts with change.
Change can be stressful, progress a blessing
For many of us, change is a constant source of concern. I don't have to look very far for examples. My parents get stressed at the slightest sign of change.
If you are anything like my parents, at the first sign of change you start to rumble and complain. Instead of thinking about how this change will benefit your life, start thinking about how it will negatively affect you.
This is evident in the vocabulary we use when talking about change – scary, harsh, overwhelming. This is also reflected in our behavior towards people who urge us to change – we can withdraw, resist them, or even reject them.
At this moment, when we are facing or going through many changes, we have the opportunity to recognize and rejoice in the progress that we can make. Instead, we often choose fear.
When we focus on the excitement of progress, change feels a lot less scary and we feel inspired to take action. Because curiosity, like survival, is one of our greatest instincts. We get energized when we envision fun new opportunities and focus on what we can control to create them instead of worrying about what is out of our hands.
So the next time you are faced with a change, instead of asking …
you didn't make up your mind
Why me?
What did I do to deserve this?
Why now? I'm not ready for it …
Ask yourself:
How does that drive me to progress?
What new experiences and possibilities does this bring?
What can I do to be prepared for this?
It's all a question of perspective. Viktor Frankl, the famous Holocaust survivor, understood this better than anyone. In his book he writes:
“There is a space between stimulus and reaction. In this room our power is to choose our answer. In our answer lies our growth and our freedom ”
In one of my previous posts I told how I used to rumble and complain. It was easy for me to play the sacrifice card and just think about the negative effects of change, completely overlooking the good it could bring.
When I first moved to the US, I hated my life there. I was forced to move against my wishes. I went from being a careless eighteen-year-old to someone who had minimum wage jobs to pay the bills and save for college.
At that moment I hated it. I was angry and frustrated and kept making time to escape. But now, when I look back, I realize that my work ethic stemmed from working on a subway for five years. It has helped me go from being an introvert to someone who can easily start a conversation with a stranger from afar. I come from a country where English is the second language and I have sharpened my English skills.
The change led to progress in retrospect.
When a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, you see progress. And isn't it nice?
Perhaps it is time to look at changes in your own life in the same light. You can imagine losing the security of your cocoon or transforming yourself into a beautiful, colorful, magnificent butterfly.
The choice is really yours.
About Tuseet Jha
Tuseet Jha is just an ordinary boy next door who tries to deconstruct and demystify life one by one. He usually writes about happiness, productivity, minimalism and success on his blog. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Medium and Instagram.
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