Change

Jack Welch once wrote, “Change before you have to.” This idea is what gives me the strength to move on through life. Our lives are in a cycle of perpetual change, yet we still have a large percentage of people who are wrought with terror at the thought of the idea. I’m not arguing that people have to accept every change with open arms, but it’s possible to go about our lives without falling to pieces at the smallest signs of change. I think that this is the idea Jack Welch is trying to get across: it’s easier to volunteer to improve with change than it is to let it consume you with fear to the point you’re options have dissipated and are out of reach.

In my eyes, change has the ability to sneak up on us without a single warning and we can, either, develop along with it, improve, grow stronger, or, we can allow it to dominate and devour us until we’re the living embodiment of anxiety. I’ve personally seen how change can completely leave someone with nothing and test them to see if their capable of pushing through. I’ve seen my aunt sit in her home wallowing in a jaded sorrow and completely fall apart after losing her husband, sister, and father in less than one year, distorting her view of life and leaving her practically an empty shell. It isn’t uncommon that anyone in this situation would do the same, but there comes a time that you chose to, either, accept the events handed to you in life and push through, or, not do allow yourself to be torn apart. This is the idea that Welch is arguing.

It’s almost never easy to move on after a drastic change, and we’re usually left in a bewildered state of anxiety after change is thrust upon us. The worst thing we can do is go through life fighting everything just because it makes us uncomfortable and scared. To go against nature in this way it’s easy to lose track of what’s actually important and forget what you’re aiming for in life. You can find yourself living day by day, ultimately removing yourself from the world emotionally. As hard as it may be to embrace every change, if you allow yourself to not be affected by every change you’ll also allow yourself to enjoy life more and see what’s truly important.