My greatest fear when I was 10-years-old

(I took this for you at our cabin when I got up to watch the sunrise.)

When I was 10-years-old, someone asked me my greatest fear. 

And like the 50-year-old trapped in a 10-year-old body that I was, I answered, “Change. Change is my greatest fear.”

I’ve always longed for stability. Security. Predictability. And while I can handle pressure, chaos, and unpredictability rather well when I need to, it’s definitely not my favored way of doing things.

So 10-year-old me really, really loved the perceived security and predictability of the small town I grew up in, surrounded by multiple generations of family, the same rhythms of each school year, each calendar year. Such familiarity. Such predictability. So thinking of that steadiness being disrupted scared me. 

Now I’m older by a few decades. And change still isn’t my favorite. 

The grandparents that I took for granted as a 10-year-old are almost all gone, but for my 90-year-old grandmother.

My oldest daughter just finished her first year of college, and my two younger kids will be seniors in high school next year.

People are getting older. People are moving away. The 20’s have become the 30’s and now the 40’s. The clock keeps ticking.

What changes are happening for you?

Changes in your role, responsibilities, or a promotion?

The end of the semester and school year?

Summer associates starting and a summer program to run?

Family commitments, schedule changes, evolving responsibilities?

Aging parents or other loved ones you care for?

Evolving client demands, worries about the economy, or a changing practice?

So what to do in seasons of change? Embrace the change.

As Abraham Maslow said: “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.”

We often talk about the discomfort of growth. Well, change brings discomfort, and it also brings growth opportunities.

Opportunities to learn, to grow, to become the next version of ourselves, to reinvent parts of our life, to build upon our hard-earned perspectives and life lessons, and to enjoy the present moment rather than clinging to the past and the familiar. As Herman Hesse said: “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.”

Are you afraid of change? Are you clinging to the familiar?

Do you think that holding on makes you feel strong, when actually the stronger option that leads to your growth is letting go and stepping into the unfamiliar, the unknown?

As the seasons change and your rhythms change this summer, consider it a metaphor for rolling with the inevitable change in life. 

How can you embrace it? How can you make the most of it? How can you enjoy this moment for what it is rather than wishing it were different?

Wishing you an amazing week full of unexpected delights, learning opportunities, and fresh perspectives.