Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Change. It’s a simple word, yet invokes such a wide range of responses from people. From fear, hate, love, embrace, accept; feelings run a wide gamut and are very personal. Also, personal circumstances can cause an effect on your perception of change, often to magnify your feelings.
Personally, I’ve been all over the place as to my perceptions of change. There have been times I’ve hated the idea, others when I’ve actively embraced the idea of change. Then other times, I’ve run the scale up (and down) from minimum to maximum.
Of course, for me, nothing really compares to the biggest (at least one of the biggest) changes I ever made in my life. It had me running up and down the scale and experiencing most of the possible reactions to change. And this was before I immigrated to the US from England. Leaving your country of birth, the country (and culture) you have grown up with, and moving to another country and culture is a significant change. And not one to take lightly. Okay, they speak the same language in both countries (or relatively so, as there are many differences if you look), so that helped some, but still.
Change on Top of Change
Then if that wasn’t a big enough change, I added getting married to the list of momentous changes I was undertaking not long after I got to the US. That alone is enough to scare most grown adults. And there I was, newly arrived in a foreign country and now getting married!
Now those big changes are done and dusted, I transitioned into doing minimal changes wherever possible. So much so, I have spent the last thirteen years working for the same company. Now, admittedly I have changed job responsibilities and title (plus salary) numerous times; I’ve still been pretty low key on the entire change front. Well, guess what? The time for keeping a low profile is over.
Not only did I resign this week for a nice new job with another company, but it’s also located in a completely different state. Yep, after thirteen years of keeping a low profile and avoiding change, I’ve grabbed it with both hands and am actively embracing it all over again. And do you know what? It feels good to be doing so. Not that there are no challenges to be dealt with, myself and my wife are both rising to the challenges and looking forward to a new start. Change is not something to be feared but is healthy for the heart and soul.
Originally published September 25, 2017
