I don’t know if anyone likes change, but change is necessary. It comes along expectedly or as a surprise. It challenges our ability to let go of control, be flexible, and handle it well as it comes our way.

I think of change as a paradox of impermanence and permanence, or more easily conceptualized, in terms of good and evil. Either way, it always involves a loss because nothing new can enter our lives until we say goodbye to what was. With considerable practice at failing to accept change, I have learned that the way home is through this understanding of impermanence. Every moment ceases to exist as soon as it is realized. We open ourselves to acceptance and possibilities when we come to this understanding.

Another way to look at change is to acknowledge that change isn’t about improving; it’s about being in the moment. We spend so much time developing ideas based on what we already know. Then, seek to perpetuate them by searching for everything supporting those ideas. All of this seeking causes us to miss what is happening right now.

And there’s the paradox. In the change search, meaning seeking something different, we miss acceptance of being where we are and who we are. Additionally, something less regarded as connected to change, when we let go of constantly seeking, we become less stressed, less pressured, and more accepting of every moment for what it is.

Dr. Wayne Dyer wrote that when we change our thoughts, we change our life. Change without thought is not change, yet I would evolve Dr. Dyer’s concept further to include the caution that we overthink and live too little. By “live,” I mean being content to honor pauses in our life, being passionate about where we are now, seeking to know rather than be understood and spending time looking deep within with contentment rather than constantly working to change who we are. I believe, ultimately, that this was Dyer’s lesson for us.

Why are these things important? Once mastered, they are reflected in our day-to-day living. We cease judging ourselves and others. Change becomes organic rather than forced or contrived, and we become content. Through contentment, we can see ourselves and each moment with fresh eyes.

The paradox of change is an idea explored by students of Buddhism, the Tao Te Ching, therapists, and coaches, but it’s not as complicated a concept as it may seem. Simplified, change is where impermanence and permanence come together, an idea expressed as being in the now, accepting ourselves and situations not as flawed and needing fixing but merely experiences to be enjoyed and explored. This simplification can be applied to every problem, circumstance, policy, or self-exploration.

Change is an essential part of life. It is a gift of opportunity. Imagine its potential, journal about it, and meditate on what it offers. Looking at change as a gift shifts our view. Be curious. Believe in the good of change. Trust the process we call life.

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