Resistence to Change

'Every beginning is a consequence. Every beginning ends something.' -Paul Valéry

Everyone, even if they are standing dead-still, is moving forward. There is nothing that can retard or divert this momentum. This constant state of forward movement means that we are continually faced with change.

Think of change as riding a bicycle. If we want to stay on the bike we need to keep peddling and continually make adjustments to the steering to avoid bumps and pot-holes in the road.

Change is something that happens to all of us. It is as unavoidable as taking your next breath (assuming that you have the desire to live). Some changes are so subtle that they don't register on our mental radar. Other changes, as we perceive them, are considered significant. It is when we are faced with these types of changes that we can discover resistence.

When you actually take a moment and examine the resistance you find it has very little to so with the change itself. Rather, the resistance has more to do with letting things go. Our identities become intertwined with the familiarity of our surroundings. Removing aspects of our lives that are so familiar to us leaves us with a sense of loss and vulnerability.

It is not so much about embracing the new beginning as it is with dealing with an ending. Change itself is usually external, structural and relatively straight-forward. The difficulty lies more with the psychological transition that we have to make from the old to the new. The reason it is difficult is because the transition requires us to make a identity shift. It is so important to have closure before we can move on.

If you know someone who is going through change whether personally or professionally, the first step is to help them with letting go and to come to some sense of closure. The best way to do this is to communicate clearly what the problem is and why it is necessary to change.

- On the road with my iPhone