Change; the only real constant, right? Well, no, not really.
Let me explain.
The only thing that is constant is change ― Heraclitus
Sure, I think Heraclitus was correct in what I think he was saying, in that, we should always plan for and be ready for change. And generally, we're pretty good at it, adapting to our environment, evolving, solving problems, inventing... We wouldn't have risen to top of the food chain if we weren't.
But, when it comes to personal - the very deep-seated, transformational, core-of-our-being - change, though, well, there's a problem; we don't. At least, not very well.
I've wrestled with the idea lately that by making small, seemingly insignificant changes in your life can eventually bring about that big transformational change you've been seeking. That "The flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas?" But, I'm not so sure.
For me personally, transformational change has never been slow, quiet or gentle. It's never been the seemingly insignificant flap of a butterflies wings. No, when big change has arrived in my life in the past, both mentally and physically, it has been loud, disruptive, confrontational and more often than not, ugly.
A few gentle reminders, thoughts, mantras - a gentle flutter of your wings, might not be enough, and at some point, you might have to grapple with that. Actually, you will have to. You cannot tear down an old rotten building by simply standing next to it tapping it, hoping that if you tap long enough it might eventually implode. You need an earthquake, an explosion, to shake it's very core, to tear apart everything holding it together.
But not if don't know what you're going to build in its place.
Sometimes the beginnings of our transformations need to shake us like an earthquake or explode from beneath like a volcano. It's not ironic that nature's transformations are often as violent as they are beautiful. Nature knows that from its destruction comes new life. A foreman knows that from his explosions, something new, useful, or more beautiful will be built to take its place. They have a plan.
And so we can't tear down the constructs and obstructions in our mind without knowing what we will build in its place.
You want to be fit
You want to be healthy
You want to live comfortably
You want to love and be loved
If you know what you want to build, only then can the small, insignificant changes start the process of bringing about the bigger change that you want.
So I say; the only thing that should be constant is having the mind to change.
🏁
Header photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash