Have you ever wondered why everyone seems to dislike change so much? I am sure if I checked, there have been studies done on it. Maybe it is hardwired into us from our days as cavemen, maybe it is as simple as change has a tendency to bring about things that are unpleasant.

Change can be hard. Changing jobs can involve learning new skills. Changing schools can mean making new friends. Changing your favourite brand of anything can mean all kinds of things (shampoo – unpredictable hair/pasta – poor results at dinner/pen – bad writing performance).

And truthfully, when I started writing this, I had decided to try and shift my thoughts on change. To view it as opportunity, as a new beginning, as a potential for growth and adventure. However, 24 hours later? I am feeling far less optimistic.

While some of my examples – like new shampoo could bring about revitalized hair and new pens bringing exciting colours and new line styles, they seem much easier to digest than big things like a new school or a new job.

I told myself that ‘accepting change is as much about perspective shift as it is truly altering things’. Me of yesterday was much more optimistic. Today’s me doesn’t like change. Maybe that’s why I like the same music now that I did when I was a late teen/20something. I mean, I listen to a lot of other stuff too, but my default is always a 90s station.

I miss optimistic, change embracing me of yesterday.

What does ‘change’ mean to the wider world and why is it so hard! I remember my son when he was little. We had him on a strict routine and any change to that routine brought chaos. We loved camping, but it always disrupted the routine and that change threw our schedule out for days.

When is change good? At this moment, I am having trouble seeing the positives. But I am smart enough to know that the issue (today) is me. Change is a difficult sea to navigate but it isn’t impossible. And it often is positive, a lot of good things come from change.

In fact! I changed jobs years ago and it definitely was the best kind of change. I was terribly unhappy in the first position I was in. Moving to the Projects group was absolutely the best move and one I never regretted. I loved the extra work (seriously, I did. I was SO f**king bored in the junior position, I can’t even tell you), I loved managing the budgets, the meetings, the file management. All of it. It was the job I was meant to do. Was I scared of screwing up? Every single day, but the change didn’t bother me.

I guess the best thing we can do is try to embrace change and not fight it. We may not like it. But maybe we don’t have to like it? I don’t know. I don’t have the answers, I just know that it is going to happen anyway and the best we can do is try our best to work with it and not against it.