Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “the only constant in life is change.” He also said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Seemingly, Heraclitus could’ve also used some change between his observations, but both points still stand. Change never stops. We’ve probably all had our fill of it in the past two years. Yet we can be certain it’ll keep coming, so it’s worth reframing how we experience change to focus on its positive aspects.
SAMPLING NEW THINGS
As many people went into lockdown, they took up all kinds of activities, from trying their hand at home renos to baking their own sourdough. Even the unpleasant experience of basically being put under house arrest afforded people the chance to try new things. And people will never skip the chance to find new ways to eat more bread.
LEARNING AS YOU GO
At first when we switched to working from home, carrying out our day-to-day work was difficult, but then we all got a crash course in remote work. It might not have felt like learning at the time, but now we’re far more adept. And that’s likely not the only thing you picked up—for that experience we all probably should’ve earned some Personal Skills Hours from RIBO.
FINDING OPPORTUNITY
If inspirational Facebook memes are to be believed, with new challenges come new opportunities. During the pandemic, many found new roles for themselves, whether within their organization or elsewhere. Forced from their comfort zones, people sought new paths they otherwise might not have—even birds learning to fly starts with a push.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Confronting change and coming out the other side can be an empowering experience. Finding ways to persevere and make the most of the situation can make you feel like you can handle anything. We’ve essentially just survived an apocalypse. We’ve all seen movies about what people look like in a post-apocalyptic world and we’re all looking a lot better than that.
GETTING PREPARED
At the time of writing, the Omicron variant is making headlines, raising the threat of new shutdowns. As awful as that would be, we’re undeniably more prepared this time. We’ve built new skills and coping strategies. If it’s not a new shutdown, there might be other challenges on the horizon we’re now more equipped for. But hopefully we can keep those skills in the holster for a while.
GAINING PERSPECTIVE
Change can often prompt a new way of seeing things. The societal reckoning with racial injustice and the strengthening of the workers’ rights movement are some of the larger shifts brought on by the pandemic. On a more personal scale, many people moved or started a family. You can see a lot more of the room you’re in when you’re not running on a treadmill.