We live in a world of
change. Innovation and disruption impact
all we do. Some people embrace change
and others resist it, seeking to maintain the status quo. Too much change puts constant stress on
people and systems, and lack of change can lead to stagnation and death.
Ultimately change is about finding
a balance. Growth is change, learning is
change, survival is change. But change
just for the sake of change can be counter-productive. As human beings, we need to adapt over time,
but there is also a need for a home-base, a place of quiet and consistency to
give us strength for dealing with the next onslaught of change.
Transformation is a form of
change that inherently exists in life. A
caterpillar becomes a chrysalis becomes a butterfly. A baby becomes a child becomes a teenager
becomes an adult becomes an older person.
We begin weak, gain strength and end up weak again. We learn to crawl,
then walk, but end up shuffling or in a wheelchair. Corn becomes a popcorn kernel becomes popped
popcorn. A seed becomes a plant becomes
a dead stalk.
Life and death include the
processes of transformation and change.
We can look at this and say
change is good (growth and development) or bad (death and decay), but change is
neutral. It just is. The renewal process and evolution of species
are all aspects of change.
So much depends on our attitude
toward change--how we embrace it or fight it.
True, change can lead to
improvement or decline. A corporation
can transform into a more successful company or one that goes out of business.
Change as adaptation is necessary,
but change of successful survival techniques can be detrimental.
My advice to myself: find a
golden mean of change, the necessary balance between growth and a stable base.
2 comments:
People don’t like change. They like the status quo, and they don’t feel comfortable if
things are going to be different. Think about the little things that happen in your own life. You enjoy the predictability in most things. There is a certain level of comfort when you know, or think you know, what’s going to happen next.
Ruth, very true. When we moved to Southern California after 39 years in Boulder, CO, it was a big change. It took us a while to get our routines down but having a new grandson helped. That kind of change is terrific.
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