The Consistency of Change
Hello!
One of the only things we’re certain about in life is change. While change is unpredictable and fleeting, we always know that our situations, feelings, and relationships evolve. As I look at the people around me, I’ve noticed that many of them have changed throughout the years. This has been met with both positive and negative responses, but it’s completely natural to follow new paths because we’re all trying to figure out our own identity.
I think one of the most difficult transformations people struggle with is when they try to become a better version of themselves whether that’s by being kinder or discarding bad habits. Unfortunately, this transition is often met with doubt from others because there are always going to be people who hold you to a standard of who you were in the past regardless of who you are now. They’re essentially saying that you’re not allowed to grow, which is completely unreasonable.
Our life is constantly changing because of our interests, friends, and careers, so arguing that someone has to permanently express one identity wrongly implies that everything in our life has the power to change except us.
When you think about it, are you the same person you were 5 years ago? 1 year ago? Even 1 month ago? Probably not. As individuals, we’re always growing as our life experiences and everyday interactions affect us in ways we can’t even imagine. You’re allowed to learn from your mistakes and decide that you want to be a better person because the whole point of our journey in life is for us to discover how we can improve ourselves and positively impact those around us.
I’ve realized that the people who try to make you feel otherwise or don’t believe that you’ve really changed are the ones who are insecure with their own identity and haven’t yet found the strength to change themselves. And honestly speaking, everyone is dealing with their own struggles that we don’t know about so it’s unfair to judge others for trying to better themselves when you don’t know how hard it was for them to make that choice.
Just remember, every day we wake up and make the conscious decision to be who we are and it’s really brave of the people who have tried to improve. It takes a lot of strength to make the active choice to break bad habits and acknowledge that you’re the only one who can make your life what you want it to be. And you can’t let anyone take that away from you.
With love,
Haya Ahmed
