How do you face change in life?

I will be the first to confess that I’m a creature of habit! Yes, I love my routine regardless of whether I’m perceived as old school, new school or no school.  Change is a fact of life, yet for the most part I’m always shocked when something alters my personal life choices. What makes a person more capable of facing change? What has to happen to learn to be more adaptable instead of a ‘stick in the mud’ type or someone who would rather die than change?

I can remember in one of my first philosophy classes studying Heraclitus who made a common sense observation that was profound but not easily understood. His simple observation was that all life is in flux. The only constant in life is that there isn’t any constant. So how does one handle the fact that change is part of life whether you like it or not? Do I pretend it doesn’t bother me? At times I loudly express my views, displeasure with change and then give the reasons why I’m not going to follow.

Here’s what I’m learning when it comes to change in my life. The world changes constantly and it’s up to me, not someone else, to be prepared to face the normal ebb and flow of life and the world around me. The first fact is that I’m getting old, yes older and what I could do yesterday with some things won’t be as easy today. The other fact with getting older is that I’m also more experienced and should know better about what I know and don’t know. I don’t have to necessarily like change but at some point learn to adapt to situations that I can’t control.

I always laugh at the younger generation that makes fun of older people because of the perception that they don’t do change. I chuckle at the younger generation that is just as much set in their ways but only in a different context. The simple fact is that change means that life isn’t going to always be the same. Yes, you will have many different jobs in your life. Hopefully you will stay married and not experience too much heartache. Yet, the daily reminder from the media is that bad things happen to at times to everyone. Is it possible to be prepared for life changes?

I didn’t wake up one day and say I’m going to have skin cancer or my mom is going to go through a decade of chemo treatments. Yet, the reality is that I’ve had over 20 skin cancer biopsies in the last 10 years and my mom’s struggle with cancer impacted all of our lives both in her life and in her death. I’m so fortunate to have an amazing wife, life partner of 42 years, who makes adapting to change a little easier. I know that facing the tough times on your own is difficult and also to celebrate victories by yourself is boring.

The opportunity today is to become a change agent where you are someone that is an influencer and helps society move towards being better.