Dec
Change it or Change You
Our weather is quite unstable this year, ranging from unseasonably warm to bitter cold. This week we had one day of 70 degree weather. The end of the week will see us with temperatures in the teens. Such extremes can be confusing.
If temperatures and weather vary so much, what remains constant? Us: people! We are the ones who experience these changes. Hot or cold, wet or dry, we are in the middle of it all. Our way of handling it is not to change the weather, but to change ourselves. If it gets too hot, we open the windows and wear light clothing, For the cold, we wear heavy clothing, close the windows and turn on the household heating.
There are two ways to successfully meet life’s situations. Some are the kind that we can change. We can affect circumstances and turn them to our favor….sometimes. The other kind of circumstances are beyond our control. We cannot change or redirect them. In those cases, our only recourse is to adapt ourselves to get through the situation. Depending on the particular event, we can avoid it, ride it out, or adjust ourselves to be more in harmony with it. The real trick is to know when we can change circumstances, and when we must adapt ourselves. One might say it is a matter of change or be changed.
Cut-and-dried responses offer a limited response to life’s ups and downs. Our best recourse is the be flexible and resourceful. Using our intelligence, experience and common sense, we can respond to each situation on its own merits. We have the flexibility to try to implement change, or to adapt ourselves. The ability to respond effectively is our assurance of ultimate success.
