Excepting change

An important part of building the life you want is learning to accept change. And not only to accept it, but to embrace it and seek it out. Change is the principle of life itself! As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

In reality, our bodies are changing right this minute, without us even being aware of it. For example, the cells in our body are constantly changing and renewing themselves. Every four weeks, our skin is totally new. Our gums cells are replaced every two weeks, and our stomach lining cells every four days. In the course of a single year, 95% of all the trillions of cells that make up you and me are changed. I think that is remarkable!

Of course, this is happening with no conscious effort on our part. But if we’re called upon to react to a change from the outside, or when we find ourselves in a stagnant situation and know that something needs to change – that’s when, for a lot of us, change can be frightening. Those feelings are likely due to the uncertainty change can bring, often because it can push us out of our comfort zone.

What’s important to remember is that change always brings opportunity, a chance to grow in a new direction. There is nothing to fear from change. You should only fear not changing.

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

Don’t let any fears stand in your way. So, when a change appears suddenly in your life, rather than retreat into your shell, come out to embrace it and look for the opportunities it presents to grow. Or when you reach a stalemate in life, step out boldly and initiate a change yourself.

May you never stop growing. I wish that for all of us!