Why You’re Still Alive

Change is tricky. For a start, we bump up against it as both a noun and verb. As a descriptive word, it’s a way of understanding the world around us – something that’s always in motion – always carrying us to the next “now.”

As an action word, it can be a command or a choice. Sometimes change is imposed on us from outside and we’re forced to adapt in some way to new conditions. At other times, we trigger it ourselves in order to take some internal trait or external circumstance to the next level. Change implies a relentless push to reinvent ourselves. Sometimes it’s a nudge. Other times it’s a kick.

The nudges remind us to make adjustments in our habits or surroundings. The kicks sometimes demand bigger course corrections to keep our lives “on purpose.” Love it or hate it, there’s no escaping change. Even when we think we’re standing still, we’re riding a dirt ball that’s spinning at roughly 1,000 miles an hour and circling the sun at over 60,000 miles an hour. Meanwhile, the activities of the trillions of cells in our bodies are keeping us alive as our subatomic parts continuously flicker in and out of existence.

Everything and everyone you know is always in motion.

Years ago I saw a sign on a coffee shop tip jar that said, “If you fear change, leave it here.” Looking back on my own life it’s clear that the worst damage was done not by change itself, but by the things I did to resist it. Resistance only creates more friction, which can show up as conflict, wasted motion and lost opportunities. This is harmful for a couple of reasons. First, we’re saying no to our only real asset – the present moment – and missing out on the chance to capture new value. Second, we’re burning massive amounts of energy that bring us nothing in return and likely work against us in ways we can’t even see.

Where there’s no change, there’s no life.

A good friend of mine figured this out when she was a river guide, leading adventurers through some of North America’s most wild and beautiful water. Huge, jagged rocks that could easily crush the boats and the people were everywhere. Instinct screams to paddle madly in the opposite direction, but by approaching the rocks with respect and carefully observing the way the currents interacted with them, she learned to “read” the water. She conserved energy by working with the obstructions instead of against them and effortlessly redirected the boat with a few small, calm flicks of her paddle.

We can all do that.

Consider this. When your awareness is in the past or future wishing the change away, none of it is available to you to deal with what’s in front of you right now. “Change On Purpose” suggests that by being mindful about it, we can work with change instead of struggling against it. In the posts to come, we’ll explore three primary skill areas for navigating the currents of change and using them to carry us in a purposeful direction:

1. Creativity: awakening to the innate ability of every person to imagine and adapt.
2. Communication: creating deeper and more authentic connections in personal relationships and professional organizations by fully and actively listening.
3. Continuous Process Improvement: bringing the idea of expansiveness to everything we do by being fully present for every task.

Change isn’t just part of life. It is life. When fear comes along for the ride, we can embrace it as a sense of adventure and patiently teach ourselves to stay in the flow. That’s what this verbal journey will be about and I’m glad you’re with me.

QUESTION: What have you learned about working with change?