Why it’s Okay to Change

You probably remember what you wanted to be when you grew up. Maybe it was a basketball player or a dancer. Then you watched an Indiana Jones movie and decided you wanted to be an archaeologist. Or perhaps you wanted to live alone in a castle or on a farm with your 5 kids.

Life has a way of changing our plans. You might’ve visited a farm and realized it was a lot more than raising cute animals. Or you joined the basketball team, but ended up sitting on the bench. But maybe while sitting on the bench, you loved figuring out all the statistics for the team, and you ended up majoring in finance and now work for a bank. 

Change is totally acceptable, and it’s a normal part of life. You may decide to change your career, hometown, relationship or hobbies.

Don’t limit yourself and your identity

Licensed Therapist and NYT Bestselling Author Nedra Tawwab writes, “We don’t have to hang our hat up on one way of being or one way of thinking. We can change our minds. We can find new perspectives.” Even though you went to school to be an accountant, you don’t have to do that for the rest of your life. Maybe you’ve discovered a new passion for clay, and you want to explore that. Start experimenting with clay, take a class and see where it goes.

Curiosity can lead you down a new path

Being curious and willing to change is a good thing. The Huffington Post states, “Sometimes we're called in a new direction that has nothing to do with where we'll end up. The desire to start running may lead you to find the quiet necessary to download a new business idea.” When you’re open to exploring new things, you may feel more inspired, or it opens you up to new ways of thinking.  So you may have started running to take better care of your body, but find that time allows you to clear your head and brainstorm ideas for your next big project.

Let go of never

You’ve probably said you’d never do this or that, many times. Now think about how often that has actually been true. Tawwab also writes, “Maturity teaches us that never is not a term that you need to use very often because in the course of life you will change your mind again and again.” While some things may fall in the never pile, many areas of your life probably aren’t so certain. As you gain life experience, you may realize things you thought you’d never do actually sound intriguing. Maybe skydiving looked way too dangerous, but then a friend went and talked about how much they loved it. Or perhaps you said you’d never move to the suburbs, but then the perfect house came on the market. By letting go of never, you’re opening yourself to new experiences and allowing yourself to grow and change without feeling bad about it.

You can set something aside

You might have a big passion project you’ve been working on. But lately, you’ve found every time you think about working on it, you feel blah. It’s okay to set your project aside. You might need a break to seek inspiration, explore a new project or rest. You could plan to revisit the project in 3 months, or wait until you feel a spark to work on it again. Setting something aside doesn’t mean you’re giving up; you’re just giving yourself some space to explore other projects or ideas.

Changing is brave

The Muse states, “If you ask me, changing your mind is really the mark of someone who’s brave and self-aware — someone who’s willing to try new things and has the courage to admit when they aren’t exactly working out.” Think about some of the people you admire most. You’ll likely come up with some people willing to change and explore new ideas. For example, doctors change procedures when new, better treatment options become available. A scientist’s career is built on experimenting and finding new answers to different problems and issues.

Change is an inevitable part of life. Responding to your changing feelings, desires and inspirations teaches you new things about yourself. It also allows you to explore new passions and learn more about the world and the people around you.  

For the next month, try to incorporate one of these ideas into daily practice. At the end of the month, reflect on how this change has made a positive or negative impact on your life.