Life as a Chameleon
Adapt. Change. Those are two big, hairy and scary words for most people I know. How is it that we as humans are built to adapt, yet the need to change is often met with fear and resistance? The unknown is not necessarily bad, yet many of us get all stressed just by the concept that we might have to undergo a change. Is the present really so perfect that we don’t want to change anything? I can easily list off multiple things I am currently working to change. So where is the societal fear of change actually stemming? Let’s think about it.
Are we afraid we will make a wrong decision? Or maybe we won’t be perfect and someone will find us out! Is the root a lack of self-love and a sense of unworthiness? Or perhaps we are afraid that adaptation and change will alter and conflict with our core values? Is it possible that our world view could expand and perhaps unveil new possibilities that we hadn’t previously thought possible? Then again, is any change truly permanent and maybe we are afraid of being stuck? Or maybe we are just tired of frequent changes and the fact that we can never get comfortable. Whatever the reasons for our fear and discomfort, we have to learn how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I am quite practiced on adapting to change… My mother calls me her gypsy child. I have lived in many different types of places, worked in multiple fields, shared life with people across the globe, and redesigned myself a multitude of times. My mother also calls me a chameleon because and I have been “successful” in adapting to my frequently changing environment. How have I spent my entire adult life, “uncomfortable” yet fairly “successful”?
This is my standard operating procedure: I know who I am currently, I strive to follow principle driven living, I don’t assume that I am right, and I know that the more I learn, the more I will change. My change game is strong. This is what happens: I go, I observe, I assess my surroundings and I share some parts of myself to “blend in” if you will. I do not compromise my core values or characteristics, but I follow the mindset of “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” I learn the language and lay of the land, what behaviors are permissible and make strategic choices to enjoy the experience. I attempt to learn as much as possible from the people and situations I interact with, so I may reap the optimum growth.
Do I get scared when I know change is coming? Sure. But do I likewise know that I am strong and brave? That I will survive and more than that, find a way to thrive? Absolutely. I treat the constant change game as I do a long run. I trust my training, take a deep breath, and keep moving forward. The journey is rarely easy but it is rich and there are incredible people and sights all along the way.
Adapt. Change. These two things are what have shaped me and caused me to be a more compassionate and worthwhile human. Thus I urge each of you – don’t shy away. You are enough and you can do it! Trust your training, take a deep breath, and keep moving forward. You’ve got this!
