It took a moment for this morning’s cup to enlighten me. But the best things truly do come to those who wait. 

If you are worried about the consequences of change, which are also less ominously referred to as “results,” you just have to remind yourself that everything has a rhythm. Change isn’t bad, it’s just unfamiliar. And all too often we like to think we’d like a change, but when it comes around we don’t even give it a chance to see if we might like it. That’s like deciding that you don’t like the new song you haven’t heard yet.

We go through life by using the rhythms of our repetition. Our patterns of behavior have a beat which we know by heart. We think the we fear change because we aren’t sure if the results are going to be what we envisioned…and this is even more true after we solidify our opinions of the world’s less desirable aspects. So we learn to stick with predictable, which means we are basically listening to the same song over and over because we know it and we aren’t sure if the next song will be good. But the thing is, actively going in search of the change you desire means you are picking the next song to try out. 

But you have to give change a chance. You have to listen to more than the first few notes to decide if you like its rhythm. And while you’re listening you are met with all kinds of melodies and lyrics you didn’t know to expect. And so you listen over and over, learning the rhythm of this change. Which is how this change will become ordinary. But don’t forget to challenge your ordinary thoughts while you’re experiencing something new, otherwise you’ll just fall back to the old rhythm.

Disliking change doesn’t mean going back to what you know you don’t want. It means looking for another song, so we can learn new dances. When you find one you like, you just practice the change until it becomes ordinary life. Then look for another change, “play a different song,” learn new dances. Let today’s ordinary life become vintage. Your personal retro.