I guess it is all in the way we view change. Let me just say here that I am not good with change. I actually have very set ways, especially when driving. My driving routes rarely vary. So, what am I doing talking about change? I have discovered something. My attitude toward change is slowly morphing into an idea completely foreign to me, acceptance. What I have learned and am still learning is that change often heralds something worthwhile.
For instance, I teach Microsoft Office. Most of the classes I teach still use Office 2003. But, when I work with individuals in their homes, many have upgraded to Office 2007. My mind balked at the predicament this afforded me. First, I would have to relearn Office and second, I would have to have both versions of Office, 2003 and 2007, on my computer. All the distress I felt over this change didn’t alter the fact that I had to adjust both my mind and my software. I finally solved the software problem but continued to rail in my mind at the Microsoft programmers. It did me no good. I had to acquiesce.
Today I can appreciate the innovations incorporated in Office 2007. I can also appreciate why I found it so hard to accept the changes. For the past five or six years, I have been using Office 2003. My mind sorts through the intricacies of the 2003 Office programs with ease. I have complete confidence in my abilities. Now, however, with 2007, my knowledge and confidence levels are much less. Knowing that I can find what I am looking for in a minute or two is not the same as having the answer immediately. And, sometimes, I don’t even know the answer and have to look it up. It is at those times that the dark thoughts about Office 2007 surface. “Why couldn’t they just leave it alone?” “How will I ever know this version the way that I knew 2003?”
Accepting who I am with all my imperfections is very difficult. In my mind, I want to be perfect. I worry what people will think of me, what the changes might cost me. I don’t want to be rousted from my comfort zone. The idea that change could be a good thing can be hard to swallow but it is true. Change comes about as the result of new discoveries, new ideas, and new technology. For the most part, it changes our lives for the better. Unfortunately, change can still be somewhat frightening for me although that kind of thinking is shifting.
Something else I have discovered is that it isn’t all about me! Change is often viewed as alarming or inconvenient to the majority of people who have the same kind of reactions as I do. Those reactions are normal. Change is not supposed to be easy. The “changers” are usually the only ones who like it. I’m sure the Microsoft programmers love their 2007 version of Office and are surprised with all the dissenters.
Acceptance is acknowledging and trying to understand what it happening. It is truly the least painful avenue to deal with change. First I have to accept that the change is here; I can’t alter that fact. Then, I try to realize that I am not alone in my assessment of the situation; many others are feeling my frustration. The next step is to recognize that there is nothing I can do about it. Finally, I need to discover how to work with the change in my life. Once I stop fighting and accept the change, my anxiety decreases and my life becomes easier. Change is inevitable and sometimes a good thing.
