Don’t Fear Change | Everyday Polymath
You may be a person who is very content with the way your life is now. You had a plan. You stuck to it, resulting in a good job, providing stable finances, and a happy, drama-free personal life. Now all you need to do is relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’re living the dream!
I’ve had glimpses of this nirvana-like feeling for only brief periods in my life. Some people are fortunate to have long stretches where life is perfect. If you’re anything like me, though, you know that life has a way of humbling us shortly after realizing the dream. Nothing can stay the same for too long. If it did, nothing would ever get better. In these situations, you often can only react to the changes outside of your control. Unfortunately, you can’t always prepare for everything that might happen. You can only fall back on your knowledge and experience. Keep in mind your response is a part of your self-development, and the lessons learned will help you in future situations. Though you don’t always recognize this benefit when dealing with a challenge, it is the one positive you can walk away with from any circumstance that presents itself to you.
Whether I am inciting the life transition or not, I have always tried to approach change as an opportunity. Like I said, without change, nothing will ever improve. In some cases, without modification, situations can worsen when there is no way to reverse it. Timing is everything in life. Procrastination will get you nowhere. While you waste time, the rest of the universe continues to move forward. If you want to make transformations in your life, you need to start them now. Every moment you delay wastes precious time. Imagine where you’ll be in three weeks, three months, or three years if you start today. The same can be said for the time you wait to start. How much time have you whittled away from achieving your goals? It could be three weeks, three months, or three years that you aren’t where you want to be. Everything takes time. Often you are the only thing keeping you from achieving your dreams. The one thing you will always have control of is yourself. If you want to enact change, begin now. Don’t delay your future anymore. I promise you won’t regret it.
Reflecting on my own life, I am reminded of when I decided to get back into flying. I had spent almost five years away from working towards my goal of being a commercial pilot. Unfortunately, as I was about to graduate from college, 9/11 happened, and the aviation industry was in shambles. My hope of being hired with a regional airline after graduation completely faded at the end of the year.
For financial security, I took a health insurance job for three years. Eventually, I returned to the aviation industry as a dispatcher, which led me to a crossroads after less than two years. If I wanted to fulfill my commercial pilot dreams, I needed to change my life. After careful planning, I quit my job to pursue some additional training and build my flight time. I calculated a budget for my expenses and studied hard to ensure I received a job offer after the program. In the end, the significant life change worked out for me when I received my job offer to fly a regional jet. Had I not broken out of my comfort zone and made this significant change in my life, I don’t know where I would be today. I can honestly look back now and say the day I decided I would go back to flying changed my life’s path forever. Not only for finally getting to my airline pilot goal but everything that took place after that. None of the events would have transpired and led me to be the man I am today had I not made the change when I did.
Change isn’t always a choice, though. Change is often forced upon you out of nowhere. You don’t even see it coming. It’s like you’re carefully crossing the street when suddenly….Bam! You get hit by the change bus. You can only plan and anticipate so much in life. There are too many factors out of your control to be ready for anything. The best you can do is take responsibility for what is within your ability to do. Your actions have the most significant effect on how an unforeseen event will impact you.
Take the time to carefully think out how you will respond to a situation before you begin your reaction to it. By taking a moment to look at the entire environment, you will start to see how to adjust your position to make it work more in your favor. Suppose you attack the event with your initial impressions of what is happening to you. In that case, your response may be completely incorrect and cause an even more negative chain of events. Patience and restraint until you have all of the facts will prevent you from making this common mistake. It will help you find more significant opportunities and keep you from looking foolish.
I once again think back to the medical insurance job I took after graduation when the aviation industry was in a slump after 9/11. I initially applied with a temporary employment agency to see if they could find me some work. When they offered me a clerical job in an office, I thought it would be an easy enough way to make some money while I figured things out. I could have just kept that mindset and jumped from temp job to temp job until the airlines started hiring again. However, if you get too focused on your goal, sometimes your opportunity never comes because you stay committed to the only road you know. By opening your eyes to other options, you can find a different path that may bring you more extraordinary adventures.
In my case, I’m glad that I kept my mind open to the opportunity. After starting work there, I found that I enjoyed my coworkers’ company, and they appreciated my contributions to the team. Eventually, they offered me a full-time position with the company. I used this opportune time to develop my skills further to make myself more marketable. I received a promotion within two years, which allowed me to achieve financial stability. I was doing incredible for a young twenty-something, especially considering I had no prior experience in the healthcare or insurance industry. I was fortunate to have some great mentors during my time there. I just tried my best to be a sponge and absorb as much information as possible. It was all about making the most of the opportunity. My life eventually led in a different direction as I made my way back to aviation. Still, I will always value the lessons I learned there.
You do not have to fear change. Take a moment to look at the big picture. You can often find unique opportunities you otherwise would never have found independently. As I said, if things never changed, they would never get better. Make an effort to transform every change in your life into a way to make yourself better. It isn’t always obvious, and the results aren’t always immediate. Take action instead of yielding to change. You will remain in control of your destiny no matter what circumstances life throws at you.
Originally published at https://everydaypolymath.com on November 21, 2020.
