# 6 - Life is unpredictable; change is constant

The Top 10 Things I've Learned in My 50 years on this planet...

# 10 - Don't sweat the small stuff

#   9 - Being mean blows chunks

#   8 - You can't reason with the unreasonable

#   7 - I need quiet

#   6 - Life is unpredictable; change is constant

 

I have a very good friend who doesn't like change.  She will openly admit that she has to plan her spotenaity.

 

I love this lady to death, but I honestly have trouble relating to her feelings.  I actually like change.  I'm one of those people that they call "change agents" at work.  Now mind you, I'm not up for change just for the sake of change.  I am more of a purposeful change sort of agent. 

 

Cause see, as much as I like change, I hate stuck in stupid.  Our current CEO at work says that we have stupid buckets at work, and I tend to agree.  Which motivates me all the more in my "change agent-ness".

 

Am I getting off track here?  Maybe but not really.  Cause my point in this post - in this # 6 thing I've learned in my 50 years on this planet - is this: life is unpredictable; change is constant.  It just is.  As much as some people want things to stay the same, they don't.  Period.  They change.  In unpredictable ways.

 

And that's not all bad.  One of my all-time most hated phrases of all is "We've always done it that way."  Really?  That's the best you've got?  You don't know why you're doing it that way, but your default position is "we've always done it that way."  I'll shut up - if I keep going I could be violating my # 8.

 

But hopefully you get my point.  We all do stupid things.  Every last one of us.  But the smart ones around recognize it as stupid and stop to ask "what do I need to CHANGE so that I don't get/stay stuck in stupid?"

 

Or we all encounter toxic people or relationships from time to time.  But the healthy among us recognize it as toxic and ask "what do I need to CHANGE to get/stay healthy?"

 

Or things at work change.  Mergers happen.  Leadership changes.  Often unpredictable events to the "rank and file" employees.  But the trick is learning how to respond.  Am I going to fight the change?  Or will I do the healthy thing and ask "what do I need to CHANGE in me to help make this a success for all?"

 

I haven't gotten into the bigger ways life is unpredictable - accidents with catastrophic consequences, planes flying into buildings, choices made by loved ones intent on killing pain or hurting themselves - but it's all there in life.  Many of us want to control everything in our lives - and it's just not possible.  For anyone.  Maybe # 6 is a hard truth for some.  But it's a truth nonetheless. 

 

Life is a gift - and a fragile gift at that.  The more I can do to learn and relearn # 6 and not fight against it, the closer I can come to embracing living and the unpredictable changes that come with it instead of hoping they will go away so I can crawl back into my illusion of control.

 

Ok, climbing off of my soapbox now.  Perhaps I should have done the Top 10 things I've learned first and then posted the Top 10 funniest/best moments....I'm starting to think that I'm getting preachy....hmmmm....I will try to cut that out...