Do you think as you age you’re supposed to change or stay the same? It seems like a silly question with an even more ridiculous answer. But, if you think about it, how often do you get caught up in your life forgetting this truth.
Maybe you think change is inevitable, right? I mean there’s even the famous quote from French author François de la Rochefoucauld that says, “The only thing constant in life is change”. Well, how many of us have seen time pass by, learned new insights, had new experiences, and still feel like we’re having the same conversations we had in college and the same anxieties, insecurities and fears as always. I can’t argue with the fact that change is constant, but when it comes to the self, change can be avoided.
We prevent change from happening in our lives by being:
· Negative
· Ungrateful
· Complacent
· Unaware
And the biggest and most common roadblock
· Passivity
I hear people all the time say things like, I need to change this or that about myself, like change is a magic trick where the doves are in the cage and then they’re not. Like the person you are isn’t good enough so you’re going to swap out for something better. I mean, I need is pretty harsh phrasing.
Well, what if we used the word grow instead of change. How would this rearrange our thought process? It’s a gentler voice. And most likely the need turns to want. I want accepts who you are and offers future opportunity.
The plant definition of to grow is to germinate and develop. If I put myself in the plant world, this means the responsibility to developing myself falls on how I tend to myself.
It may sound somewhat woo woo, but think about it for a moment. If we reassess how we look at moving through our lives, less about changing who we are like instant coffee and more about nurturing what’s already there, we’re more likely to develop well over the years.
What do you think?