Change Is Like A Pair Of Shoes
Change is something we all go through all the time, though we may
not realise it. We cannot actually see change happening, we just
see the results of change. Sometimes change is easy, other times
it is a long and torturous process.
How difficult change is depends a lot on your attitude towards
it and your resistance to it. You attitude to change can itself
change, and make the whole transformation process much easier to
bear. It all depends on your perspective.
Imagine change as a pair of shoes, this will help you understand
change and how it works. Let me explain.
I am sure that you have at sometime in your life had a comfortable
pair of shoes. You know the sort I mean. A pair of shoes so comfortable
that you really don't want to ever get rid of them and you wish
you had bought a dozen pairs at the same time. The fit your feet
so perfectly you can almost forget you are even wearing shoes.
You know you need a new pair, and may even have them, but you don't
want to wear them because you are comfortable with your current
pair. Besides, the new pair may hurt your feet, give you blisters
or be awkward to wear to start with. So, you resist the new shoes.
However, a part of you knows that this new pair would be much better
for your feet, and after the initial discomfort would probably be
even more comfortable, yet still you resist.
Do you know I'm doing this now? I'm wearing my comfortable shoes
and they feel good. They have a hole in each heel, and the sole
is starting to fall off, but I'm persisting in wearing them. I even
have a new pair of shoes under my desk as I write this. But my feet
are used to the old comfy pair. The new pair is tighter, and hotter
in this summer weather. I know I shouldn't wear my old shoes because
they cause a callus where the inside of the shoe has worn thin,
but still I persist.
This describes change exactly; change of our habits, change of
our thought patterns. We stick with the old patterns because they
are comfortable. Yet we know we need to change and that the change
will ultimately be good for us. Once we get over the initial pain
of the transformation, the new pattern will be comfortable and feel
good … until the time comes when we need another new pair
of shoes …
(c) 2003 Jason Johns
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