Changeling

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

-Alan Cohen

I'm listening to Rhianna's new album wondering what everyone is so upset about. I like the album, the sound is different but the lyrics actually mean something. It's definitely a different sound from songs like "Pon De Replay" and "Disturbia" but change can be good. It started to make me wonder why we all seem to fear change so much? Change is natural in every aspect of life; we change what we study, where we live, where we work, who we talk to you, where we party, who we sleep with, all of it eventually changes. The old adage is that change is good, but if that's true, why do we fight the change so much? Why do we still refer to our parents house as "home", stay in relationships that don't work, avoid confrontation, and generally shy away from things that bring change to our "normal" world. The things we have done day after day, the people we have spoken to, the little routines that we have developed all seem impossible to break and so we sometimes cling to them, but what happens when our desire to hold on to people, places, or things becomes destructive? What happens when our desire to hold on to something that is somewhere else impedes our desire to appreciate what is right in front of us.

So Rhianna sounds different. the truth is we all sound different than we did yesterday, a year ago, or even a decade ago. Our values have changed, our beliefs have most likely altered, what we hold near and dear is probably not the same, and what we thought was important then is probably laughable to us now. And that's ok. Change brings opportunity. And while change can also bring moments of uncertainty, loneliness, and pain, change is always empowering as it forces us not only to evaluate our situation, but ourselves as individuals.

So while it may seem like holding on to what is overly familiar is safe, it could actually be the most dangerous thing. So when do we know when it's time for change? When do we decide we are ready to release the people, places, or things in our life that were once so familiar and friendly? The truth is only an individual can truly decide when change is good for them and the decision is always hard whether that change be a new city, or a new hairstyle. But making the choice to make the change is the most empowering decision.

What are you going to change today?