"Adjusting to change" is the first task every one of us must undertake at some time or the other in our lives. This phrase was originally coined by the social psychologist James M. Macalester in his book, "rients in a changing world." The term has its roots in psychology and the theory of cognitive therapy. It basically means learning to deal with the unexpected and the unknown.
We all have been in experience of change. Some changes are easier than others. Some challenges bring us closer to our soul purpose. Other changes tend to leave us bewildered and disoriented. Life throws many curve balls in our direction and it's up to us to be equipped to deal with them and adapt to them.
In order to do this we must first understand ourselves. What do we want to achieve? How do we perceive the world around us? These are just some of the many questions we must ask ourselves in order to move forward. Once we have formulated these questions, we are on our way to dealing with change.
We don't get to choose how we will adapt to change and there is no magic recipe that guarantees us success. Success in any area requires us to try something different for at least a short period of time. Any successful person has changed their behavior, their thinking and developed new skills in areas they previously knew little about. Each individual deals with change in a different way, but one thing that stays consistent among them is that we must remain open to change.
Being open to change does not mean we are naive. It simply means that we recognize that life is full of surprises and change. If we allow ourselves to be caught up in who we think we are, who we have been trained to be and what we believe, we will never be able to adjust to change. Change will always catch us by surprise. This may be okay if it helps us to grow and change, but if we continue to live in a state of denial, it will only get us to where we feel we are already satisfied and there is nothing left to strive for.
We all need to take a step back and look at where we are today and where we would like to be. If life was like a movie, it would definitely make for an interesting viewing experience. An unsettled life is not the movie. It is real and requires us to make changes to our thinking, behaviors and adapt to change.