The most basic definition of change is to make or become something different than to a previous state. If you think about it like this, change may seem like an impossible mission. It may not always be possible to alter a current situation that is relatively small, not to talk about even thinking about changing ourselves.
I realised yesterday that the reason I was having trouble writing this post was because change is such a massive area to focus on, I couldn’t possible cover everything in one go. So I’m gonna do something new and break this into three parts. If you ask me (well by you reading this I’ll assume you have asked me), when it comes to change, there are three key types of people:
1)Those who are reluctant to/afraid of change:
2)Those who actively try to change
3)Those who think that change will come along and slap them in the face
Today, I’m going to talk about the first one-Those who are reluctant to/afraid of change- (a category I too fall under at times)...
Those who are reluctant to/afraid of change.
In my opinion, the issue with most of us is not about the situation itself but rather our reluctance to change.
One of my closest friends goes by the motto of: “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”. There are times when this is true and I can’t lie I’ve often referred to this very saying to defend my hesitation towards change. But in reality, we usually use this saying to mean: “it’s broke, I know it’s broke, but I don’t want to fix it, it’ll do like this”.
Take myself for example, I started work and since doing so I have realised that being forced to adapt to new surroundings can only be a good thing. I am very different to my new colleagues in various ways, for the first time in a long time I felt out of place.
The working environment and the lifestyle I’m used to are worlds apart. Learning how to carry myself in a formal setting, interacting with very important people and socialising with people from completely different backgrounds is a scary prospect. This was the case until I realised that I was not actually scared of the new environment waiting for me, rather, I feared the idea of becoming someone that wasn’t me and having to put on a front for a year just to get by or even worse was the fear of not being able to fit in.
Sure, I could use the old excuse of “I’m the only black person on my floor” but that would be just a defence mechanism to some degree (this concept will be discussed in an upcoming entry).
In reality it is more of a case where I and many of you reading this will have done in the past, tend to be most secure when I am surrounded by people who I BELIEVE I can relate to. More times or not, these will be people of the same race.
This is such an ignorant yet common thing to believe and it boils down to not knowing anything out of our comfort zone and not ever being forced to branch out of this zone or being reluctant to do so whenever an opportunity presented.
Expanding your horizons.
A lot of us see change as such a big issue because the idea of it goes further than the horizons we have set for ourselves. To tackle this, I have thought of a few pieces of advice/made some observations:
1. Don’t be afraid to take bold steps… You’ll never know if you never try!
2. Open your eyes… Life is too short for the same old routine and just sticking to what you’re used to.
In the space of a week I’ve eaten Caprese (which is basically juicy tomatoes and mozzarella. The freshest mozzarella I’ve ever eaten was from Pizza Hut so this was heaven to me :), a Carne Picante Calzone (this is like a pizza rolled up and baked) and yesterday I accidentally tried Calamari (baby squid). The funny thing is that although I am anti-fish, it actually wasnt that bad.
3. See the world...A friend of mine mentioned that she wanted to take a tour around London even though she’s lived here her whole life. At first I laughed at her because it sounded silly but when you think about it, how many of us actually can say we’ve seen the whole of London? Certainly not me. I’ve seen more parts of London in a week than I have in the whole of last year! (serious tings be dis!) It’s imperative that we take the opportunity to see as much of the world as possible, even somewhere as small as London is not a bad place to start.
4. The other side of change may be so close and yet it may seem so different- the various bridges across the cirty are all perfect examples. For instance, it’s remarkable how different each side of Tower Bridge is. At work, I overlook tall office blocks and just a few hours later once I get home I’m stuck staring at a block of flats that just over a year ago suffered from a fire that killed several people.
What I’m trying to say is that a bridge can represent change. You can stay on one side of the bridge and learn to accept whatever situation you’re going through and accept that shit wont change for you. Or you can decide to cross that bridge and see what life has to offer you on the other side.
It is possible to make that leap across from what your used to to something new, provided you're willing to take that first step because being reluctant to change does us no favours in the long run. Given the fact that life is so uncertain, it’s time to understand that change is natural and something to strive for.
Look out for the other two parts of change:
2)Those who actively try to change
3)Those who think that change will come along and slap them in the face
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