Nothing is static, except oblivion. If there’s one thing you must come to terms with in your life, it’s that everything changes. Constantly. You included.
If you’ve got children, whenever you see people you haven’t seen in a while they’ll invariably state, ‘My, how they’ve grown!’ We as parents don’t see it. It happens too gradually. Like the hour hand on a clock. But rest assured, they’re changing. In fact, the physical changes humans undergo during our first 18 or so are more dramatic than any other phase of life. But as parents, we need photographs and video to remind us of this change. We can’t see it.
Sure, this is an example of physical change – which we can all agree is inevitable. But isn’t all change inevitable? See that immovable rock of a mountain over there? It was once thrust up from the earth when the continents were formed and it continues to be shaped daily by water and wind. Every volcano, earthquake and melting glacier are signs of change. Everything on this planet is a blip on a timeline at best. We’re born, we live, we die. It’s a classic cycle of change.
Yet, if you’re like most human beings, you fall into lazy routines during your life. Your political affiliation is a prime example of this, but I’m not going there with this post. What I mean by lazy is that while our bodies continue to change, albeit slower than when we were young, we have a hard time seeing it and so we take less action.
Except for that magical time when the calendar flips to the new year and we’re forced to accept that we have to write a new four digit number down on the forms we fill out. Why not make major changes to our lives at the same time, right? It’s a solid idea, but if we sincerely embrace change – we don’t need a new calendar year to initiate it. And as we know, most new year’s resolutions fail miserably.
This year, don’t jerk yourself over. Take an honest evaluation of what you want to accomplish over the next year then set reasonable goals and expectations. And if you fail, have a plan for that too. No one expects you to transform from wearing briefs to going commando overnight. It takes time. For most of us, any positive change we induce is good. No, you will never get to the point where you control every outcome of your life because your changes are constantly colliding with the changes in others, and in nature. It’s impossible (borderline maniacal) to think that you have the power to control all of that. You control you. And even so, just barely. The fact you acknowledge that change is inevitable is the first and most important step. Then all you have to do is learn how to let loose your grip.
Because the the fact is – the world is going to keep on changing whether you’re on board with it or not. Perhaps it’s best to just roll with it and take advantage of what little you do control.
See you on the other side of December.
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SuzanneVara
Dec 30, 2010
JimFirst it has been such a pleasure reading your blog this year. I have really enjoyed this journey with you. While I get and understand the whole NYE/New Year I do not get caught up in all the hype. There is nothing really magical that happens inside me at 12:00am 12/31 that is going to catapult me to take action that is so drastically different than what I was doing at 11:59 12/30. I recognize and embrace change as it is happening. I set realistic goals so they are attainable and not so unrealistic that I never had a chance. Happy New Year to you and your leading ladies!
margieclayman
Dec 31, 2010
See? I signed up for Posterous JUST FOR YOU!!This is a lovely post, and covers a lot more than my post today did, actually. To me it begs the question, do we know when our plans change? Do we let our resolutions just melt away or do we actually notice them falling by the wayside? If the latter, why don’t we do anything about that?I suppose, as far as New Years Eve goes, looking at the ball drop is like setting your alarm before you fall asleep. When you awaken, or when the count down ends, you’ll be the same person, but will you choose to use it as a booster to start fresh? It can be a good exercise to do so, even though the use of dates and years is completely arbitrary and differs around the world. Great post!
Jim Mitchem
Dec 31, 2010
Thank you, Suzanne. You continue to help me believe that maybe there’s a place for my writing style in the world.Posterous is great Margie, you’ll thank me later. 😉 And thanks for the comment. I think we’ve got to be willing to be pliable with our goals (resolutions) in life. What I’ve learned is that when I know I’m giving my best every day, I can let things alone and know that whatever happens – is supposed to happen. Sometimes this means changing my plans, sometimes not. But when I try to force things, I’m always miserable and unbalanced. The trick is to build contingencies plans into goals. Usually, when we think things through, we can foresee (most all) obstacles and at least prepare for them a little bit. The other trick, of course, is accepting that our plans, like everything else in the world, are in flux.