Is it change we fear, or the uncertainty that comes with it?
Is it change we fear, or the uncertainty that comes with it?
I've often wondered whether it's actually change that makes us feel uncomfortable, or the not knowing what is waiting on the other side of it. We all like to have a bit of certainty in life. We like knowing where we stand, knowing what is expected of us and a bit of an idea of what tomorrow might bring.
This isn't wrong - it's just human nature. But what if we are putting off making a change, just because we are unsure how it will all turn out.
It could be making an important decision, applying for a new job, or trying out something completely out of our comfort zone.
We go over it all in our heads. We think of all the possibilities of what might happen and what might go wrong. So we put it off for another month or so, or maybe just leave things as they currently are. This might be the right thing to do, but it might not.
We can spend so much time worrying about what might happen on the other side of change, that we forget to consider what happens if we don't. Doing nothing is still a decision. And staying where we are doesn't mean everything will remain the same as it's always been.
One thing I know, is that life rarely gives us any guarantees. Even decisions we have thought through with real care and consideration can turn out so differently from how we imagined they would.
Sometimes we expect ourselves to feel completely confident before taking a step forward. But perhaps confidence and reassurance isn't always something that comes before a decision. Sometimes it develops because we've taken that step and discovered we can deal with whatever comes next - regardless of what it is.
This doesn't mean we just throw caution to the wind and be reckless with our decisions. But I do wonder how much of life we spend waiting for certainty that isn't really there?
Maybe the hardest part of change isn't making the decision to change, it is in accepting we can't know everything beforehand.
Just a thought.