I believe each human being has the potential to change, to transform one’s own attitude, no matter how difficult the situation. Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama thinks everyone has the potential to change. But how many of us do? Either in who we are, what our attitudes are, and, perhaps most often, what we do on a daily basis. And much of the time, many folks are very resistant to change because it just does not fit the plan we have for our lives. But is that ever a good idea?
Resistance to change and the process of change
We all strive to combat situations, people, and events that would present unplanned or unanticipated changes as much as several times throughout the day. We often do everything we can to resist the changes that are coming our way, yet we are still up against a great force that is not going away.
Do we ever stop to consider the actual change process?
Today’s world will not be the same as tomorrow’s, next week’s, next month’s, or next year’s. Individuals we meet now will not be the same people we meet tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. We will not be the same the next day, the next week, the next month, or the following year.
The basic truth is that change continues to advance and expand on every level every second of our lives. Change is like the wind sweeping through the open ocean on a sailboat. Resisting change is a battle against life’s inexorable and all-powerful forces.
Harnessing the power of change, on the other hand, can lead to an unanticipated transformation that will offer many rewards and the opportunity for all kinds of possibilities.
The quickest route is not always the best or the right one to take.
The majority of us have a profound belief that there is just one method, one path to a desired destination. We are so committed to our quest that we will rarely accept a differing opinion or point of view. We know the road we must follow, and we will do whatever it takes to get there, no matter what obstacles stand in our way. In fact, we are often told that this single-mindedness is indeed the way to go.
The weird thing about life is that it constantly bombards us with clues that are thrown at us when we least expect them. This was rapidly picked up on by the great sailors of old. They were well aware that the wind blows and directs for a reason. And they were not intimidated by this, and they rarely tried to fight what was, they knew, inevitable.
They recognized that by harnessing this enormous energy, they could reroute themselves onto routes with less resistance and more chances of success. Yes, these travels may have taken longer for them, but life always provides a means and a purpose for whatever it throws our way.
Winds are our teachers, therefore learn from them.
Life has a fascinating way of giving us things that will help us prepare for our path ahead. We all have ambitions, objectives, and dreams that we want to achieve one day. Yet, from our restricted perspective, we are oblivious to or unaware of how worthless and undeserving of these experiences we might be if we take them for granted, or assume we are entitled to them.
Every goal, every dream, every deep intense purpose that we conjure up within the recesses of our minds is a journey of life experience overflowing with learnings, tough times, and difficulties that must be confronted and overcome in order to experience the pleasures of the destinations that we imagine in our minds.
No man or woman has ever achieved their goals, objectives, or visions without first enduring the difficulties of the route to their final destination. When the winds blew, they realized they had an option. They could either reject and try to fight the winds of change, or they might harness the strength of the winds and use it to propel themselves ahead in unexpected ways toward their destiny.
They discovered that life is in perpetual motion and change, adapting to our changing thoughts, actions, emotions, and objectives. It is possible that what we consciously think we want is not what we really want. The shifting wind, on the other hand, is aware of these deep aspirations and gradually modifies our route to align with our inner objectives.
Will this course lead to a more enjoyable voyage of experiences, or will it offer more difficulties and lessons?
The winds become our teachers when our course shifts; they teach us what it takes to earn the right to live out our goals in physical reality. It would be impossible to achieve our goals without these encounters.
Ask the world’s most successful people if they would have become who they are today – and achieved all that they have accomplished – if it were not for the ongoing hurdles, troubles, and ill-fated events that stood in their way. Throughout the process, they learned that life will always throw you curveballs, and that unless we learn to modify, adapt, and shift our course to fit the changes we are experiencing, we will bear the repercussions of ill-fated actions that may leave us guilt-ridden for the rest of our lives. And certainly, will not help us achieve our goals and ambitions.
We cannot influence the wind’s direction, but we can adjust our sails to go to our final destination. And in bowing to those winds, we are not admitting defeat, just taking a detour in our journeys that could prove different o, but better than, the ones we had imagined.
