The One Thing You Can Always Count On: Change

With each passing year, the world seems to change more quickly. Thirty years ago, cell phones were giant bricks with antennas. Forty years ago, the card catalog and microfiche readers were the most important items in the library. Fifty years ago, televisions were large, heavy boxes with knobs for the volume and channels. Now, iPhones, Google, and O/QLED televisions are fully integrated into daily life.

Change is to the world as breathing is to people—a natural, constant presence that can’t be stopped. The world will always keep moving forward, even when you’d rather it didn’t. In the case of the cell phone, life was made a little safer and easier. But over the years, there have been other evolutions that have left a lasting, painful mark on humanity.

The ever-changing workplace

Take the modern workplace, which has undergone numerous transformations throughout the last 50 years. From Mad Men’s Don Draper chain-smoking while brooding over his in-office liquor cabinet to the sterile cubicles in many offices today, the difference is significant. But there’s one recent technological advancement that has substantially altered work and life with no sign of slowing down. The rise of artificial intelligence has left many feeling vulnerable, and rightfully so.

The Pew Research Center looked into this topic in 2022, and the results are interesting. Approximately one in five American workers is in a position that is highly susceptible to automation by AI. According to the study, “Jobs with a high level of exposure to AI tend to be in higher-paying fields where a college education and analytical skills can be a plus.”

Their numbers show that no one is ever truly immune to the effects of change. Still, there will always be those who struggle to get on board with new ways of doing things, whether on a large or small scale. The feeling of helplessness when you’re asked to learn new systems or complete tasks differently can be overwhelming and tough to overcome.

The clock that won’t stop

Your personal life isn’t immune to evolving, either. There are certain changes you simply can’t avoid, like aging. Growing older is a natural, universal process. But unlike major shifts in world circumstances or technological advancements, you don’t always notice as it happens in real time. Gray hair and wrinkles don’t happen overnight. They take over slowly.

Though many do try, you can’t avoid aging. Exercising, watching your diet, hydrating, and taking supplements can make growing older easier, but nothing will stop time. At some point, your body will change in ways you can’t control. Although this can be difficult to deal with, it can also be beneficial. Rather than engaging in a futile fight, you can focus on staying healthy and making choices that will improve your quality of life, now and in the future. 

With age comes wisdom, the opportunity to learn something new, and the chance to choose a new direction in life. Even difficult, painful, and demanding circumstances can be positive if you're willing to see your situation that way.

Attitude is everything

While you can't stop change, you can control your relationship with it. Positive and negative changes happen every day. Remaining ready and agile, regardless of what comes next, is a delicate dance that can be difficult to master.

I fight aging head on by paying attention to my health and physical strength. Right now, I’m in the best shape of my life. It’s not easy. I do it because I want to honor my commitment to myself and my wellness journey. My personal growth has always come from overcoming challenging circumstances, which almost always involve change. This doesn’t always feel comfortable, but I’d rather take a leap and trust that I can navigate difficult circumstances than stagnate as a spectator in my own life.

Don’t get stuck focusing on how life used to be. You get to choose the next chapter in your life’s story.