The only constant in life is change!

One of the most fundamental lessons I learned during my yoga teacher training was how to deal with changes. I was going through some major changes in my personal life during that time and also going through radical growth in my emotional and physical wellbeing. One day when I was particularly having difficulty with accepting the changes going on in my life my Yoga Teacher said to me “the only constant in life is change”. This simple statement allowed me to evaluate these changes and find acceptance in the direction my life was going. I am willing to bet that if you look back throughout your life (really look back, go back to the very first memory you have), you will find that your life had some monumental changes in it. You may find that your beliefs about certain things have changed. If you are lucky you still may believe in some of the fantasies that you did as a young child but chances are that as you aged you believe in less of what your mind can imagine and more of what your eyes can see. Science also has a way of disproving many of the things that were once known for certain and offering us new “truths” to live by. We see this daily in the fitness world.

I am also willing to bet that many of your values have changed. The things we value most as children and young adults are often much different as we age. Our values are often constructed by our experiences in life. As you have more experiences (good or bad) your values will change. I believe that this is the minds way of making sense of those experiences.

Most likely your financial situation has changed throughout your life. This may be one of the smallest changes you can see. Most people actually do not have major changes in their financial status during their lives. In other words if your were born poor you will most likely die poor and if you were born rich than you will most likely die rich. This has to do with our emotions and beliefs about finances and is a topic for another blog. But I am sure you had some financial changes during your lifespan even if they were short lived.

Chances are you had some changes in your health or physical well being. Even people who are in outstanding shape will agree that their bodies do not operate in the same way that they did when they were younger.

You also may have had many changes in your career. The career statistics predict that the average person will change careers 5-7 times during their working lives. Modern life offers many opportunities and we are seeing a tremendous increase in career changes made by the younger generations.

Finally, I am sure that you have had many changes in your relationships. When was the last time you talked to your childhood best friend (whom at the time you did not think you would ever be able to live without)? This change may be one of the hardest changes that we go through as we see people enter and leave our lives, there is a part of us that is forever changed. Other people are the most fundamental cause of our development. They shape our beliefs and values, they teach us things and often guide our paths whether we are aware of this or not.

So overall, I am willing to bet that you came up with many changes that you have already gone through during your life. Some of these changes may have been very difficult at the time and may have caused immense growth on your part. These changes were very necessary to bring you to where you are today. Changes will continue to occur whether you want them to or not until the day you leave this earth. We cannot stop change, however we can learn to accept and grow from it.