Accepting Change
We just rounded the corner on a decade of this millennia. Time is going too fast for me. The older I get, the harder it is to keep up. After reflecting on a few things from the past decade, it isn’t a surprise that it is hard to hold on during the roller coaster of life. Things that existed in 2010 are now obsolete or replaced with something newer, faster and shinier.
Communication Goes Mobile
I bought my first iPhone in 2008 and I remember its slow creep into the user space of Blackberry® as a form of written electronic communication. Before that, Blackberry® had almost completely taken the market from Palm Pilot® who had the prestigious handheld personal digital assistant (PDA). I never understood the attraction to typing an e-mail with a stylus the size of a toothpick. After the iPhone, the Palm Pilot® was banished to the digital graveyard and the Blackberry® wasn’t far behind it. Now, I have a digital graveyard of iPhones.
Movies Get Streamed
Blockbuster Video went bankrupt in 2010; the same year that Netflix started streaming services. There are no longer movies “in the que” to be (gasp) mailed to you when they become available. Or maybe there are, but do you even have a DVD player anymore?
Change in Your Life
I am in my fourth decade of life and there are changes I have been reluctant to accept. First is the accelerated changes to my physical self. My metabolism has been missing for quite awhile, gray hairs have come in at a rapid pace, and musculoskeletal injuries after a night of sleep are no joke.
Second is the pessimism that comes with age. The more life I experience, the easier it is to expect bad things to happen because bad stuff happens the longer you are on this planet.
Third is the realization that there will be social change with each new generation. I remember being the young wipper snapper out of college with all my ideas about how to improve the systems around me. Even into my thirties I was ready to tell the older generation that I knew better. Now I have the urge to say the same things to a generation of millennials. “Wait until you get to be my age.”
Accept and Endure
Does accepting change mean that there is no reason to try? That your effort will be too ineffective to the overall cause so why care? By suggesting you accept change, I am not suggesting to let life go on without your participation. If that is how you are feeling, I can relate. That is why I am writing this blog - to figure out how to stay emotionally attached to things I care about so I participate in life.
Your Priorities
One thing I know is that your actions are insignificant if they are not aligned with your priorities. And your priorities have to be clear and intentional. If you aren’t intentional about your priorities then someone will decide them for you. And it will come in the form of advertisement, guilt or pressures of social norms. Don’t accept that you have to work late because it is expected. Don’t volunteer because you have been asked 5 times (no I will not canvas for any candidate). Don’t get your house more organized this year. Don’t read the news because you feel like you should know current events. Unless those actions align with your priorities, then say no.
A Way Forward
I have always found that putting my thoughts on paper make my priorities and intentions clear to me. When they are rolling around in my head I feel unfocused and lost. I can accept that change happens and I can’t control it, but I can chose what I care about and how I spend my time.
