Change

Everyone faces change at some point in their lives. While some may accept change with ease, others may find it difficult to cope with change. Considering how change can impact all aspects of one's life, there are both negative and positive effects of it. Change can be brought about by trauma, addiction, illness, a job, financial issues, marriage, friendship, a new relationship, etc. The effects of change can be measured by how it impacts your life and those around you. A positive change is a beneficial component of life, and it can help an individual sustain a profound sense of well-being. Willingness to change can indicate the person's ability to make amends, work hard in achieving their goals, and even make the necessary course corrections in life. Well, one must want such a change or may need a change in the trajectory of the journey they take in life.

"What changes a life is not simply learning more, though education is important. What changes a life is making decisions -- the best decisions you can make -- and acting on them." - Steve Goodier

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

- Barack Obama

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." - George Bernard Shaw

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou

We must all consider that various aspects of change can be impactful to individuals.  First, it is important to ask if a person is willing to change. It is important to understand that with change, a person will have to adjust and adapt to a new lifestyle that changes bring about. As a person adapts to the change, they are faced with what they are adapting to. Does it overwhelm them? Do they take it in stride? Keep in mind that a person may face barriers to change, whether social, environmental, or financial. Even therapists are faced with limitations in creating or encouraging change in their clients. Family and friends may also face limitations in bringing about change in those they care about. It comes down to this, is the person willing to change, or do they just lack the will to change? I sincerely believe that maladaptive behaviors that are learned can be unlearned, and a perfect example of this is racism. People are often affected by change, sometimes negatively or positively.  Consider how politics can affect change in people's behavior, or those who succeed or fail in education. 

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." - Winston Churchill

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." - Viktor E. Frankl

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - John F. Kennedy

"Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots." - Victor Hugo

There are also consequences to change. For individuals, it can sometimes cause jealousy or maybe it is frowned upon by family and friends. This can result in a change in attitude towards a person, instead of rejoicing in one's success or having empathy for someone's misfortunes. We need to find common ground to understand how change impacts us all. Are we changing for the better? Are we being mindful of those around us? Are we incorporating good habits? Are we accepting of creativity and innovation? As human beings, questions like these can help us understand, and have a better comprehension of change. Only with our sense of humanness will we enable our ability to have compassion, humility,  kindness, and an overall empathy and understanding for all of mankind.

"The changes in our life must come from the impossibility to live otherwise than according to the demands of our conscience not from our mental resolution to try a new form of life." - Leo Tolstoy

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward." - Amelia Earhart

"What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself." - Abraham Maslow

"Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me." - Carol Burnett

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome." - Michael Jordan

"Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong." - N. R. Narayana Murthy