The Only Constant

Of all things in the world, ladies and gentlemen, the only thing that is constant is change. For some people, it means a life struggle.

How many of you still remember your first day of school? Or your child’s first day of school? It’s horrible, isn’t it? The ruckus being kicked up; the tears that flowed endlessly; the sheer strength that forced your parents to literally drag you to school. That’s most likely the first major change for as long as we remembered. We resisted, yet we prevailed. Obviously! Otherwise we wouldn’t be here today, would we?

I believe in taking change in stride. On my first day of school when all the kids around me were bawling their eyes out, I walked out of the classroom after my mother, asking for pocket money. I have to eat during recess time right? I’d reckoned that it was hopeless trying to make my mum change her mind in sending me to that crazy place. Ah… young girl, embracing the first change in her life.

Changes are inevitable. Changes can be positive or negative. Changes throw people off track. Changes create a whole lot of uncertainty. Most of us here, are unfortunately not programmed to welcome change. We are risk adverse. We fear about the unknown on the other side of change.

There is a comfort zone for every one of us. We are so accustomed to something, that we become lazy. Of course, this comfort zone may not be the most comfortable, but why rock the boat? Ever feel that you are so miserable in what you are doing but just can’t bring yourself to get out of the misery? Yes! That’s exactly what I am talking about. You may have already been so settled, that the thought of getting out of the misery spells fear and uncertainty to you! I know how it feels, to be scared of what lies ahead. I’ve been through this not once, but many times.

For those of you who know me very well, you know this. I was a Hwa Chong student. One of the best colleges, they say, hence they conclude that I must be smart. But, instead of acing my subjects, I almost couldn’t make it to university. During the university admission exercise, I got posted to computer science, something which I had NEVER touched in my whole life until that point. It was a radical change, it was a tough challenge, I didn’t know where it would take me. But, I didn’t know what else I could do, so I went ahead. Going with the flow of things, I made sure I make it to be a positive experience, at the very least, a neutral one. That step that I took, transformed my life.

Change means a whole lot of things. That’s why we are all so apprehensive and hesitant about changing.

Change is equivalent to responsibility. You have to start accepting responsibility for where you are right now, not the way you think they are but the way they really are. You have the ability to take your life from where it is and create what you really want. You have to be open and willing ? open to a deeper understanding of what can be possible and willing to let go of the way it is and what has come before. In order to transform, you must focus on the vision you hold for the future instead of how it has been in the past or even where it is today. It means getting clear about what you want and the vision you see for yourself, then making a commitment to make it happen.

Change also means excitement, challenge and opportunity. Being open for possibilities means creating a life beyond what you can think of today. It means that there are no limits to how wonderful life can become if you are open to receive that which the world has to offer. Keep the focus on what you want your life to look like and stop putting up with people or things that get in the way of your dream. Remember, you are responsible for your life and its course.

Stop getting in your own way!

Right now, this minute, you have the power to change your life.

Make the commitment to no longer accept mediocrity and you have taken the first step.

Remember: life was not meant to be a struggle and if we stay in the flow it will never be a struggle. It is only when we hold on to our attachments or try to control a situation that needs to change that we begin to struggle. And when we surrender control and trust in the perfection of all things, we bring ourselves back into the flow. The transformation will be tremendous, like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon, in search of bigger, better things in life.

Your life is waiting. Start embracing change!