"Change is good" - Or is it?

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They say change is good for you, no matter what the situation is or what comes with the change. It's one of the most used motivational phrases out there.

But have you noticed how people only use it when something good changes into something not so good?

Saying it makes it true, or not

We humans often need to hear things from others to believe them, somehow that makes them "more true". Sometimes it's enough if we say it ourselves. But how often have you thought to yourself "damn change is good" when something has taken a turn for the better? I'm guessing not that often. How about when things have changed to something you're not that comfortable with? I for one have said this phrase to myself way more in these kinda situations.

However, I've noticed that usually I don't say it because I believe in it, but only to comfort myself. I know it doesn't magically turn good all of a sudden, but I say it because it calms my nerves and helps me deal with the anxiety. I know some of you are thinking that I'm the kind of guy who's against changes just because I don't like change itself, but that's not the case.

I'm a very rational person and therefore have the pros and cons thought out in every situation. I also actively try to make my life as good as possible. So when things suddenly change, there is a good chance that things get worst instead of getting better. I don't make the decision based on some "I hate when things change"-type of feeling, I just compare the pros and cons and usually end up noticing that the change is not that beneficial from my point of view.

But the phrase "change is good" must have some truth in it right? So where does it come from? My personal guess is the element of surprise.

Forever optimistic

A common phrase used after "change is good" is something that starts with "hey, you never know what...". Change has an element of mystery in it, so we wish for a pleasant surprise to make the situation better than it was before. So basically, the reason we say change is good is that we wish for something unexpected to happen. Most of the time the future doesn't hold anything special, we just get used to the new situation. And yet the next time we face change, we say "Change is good. You never know..." once again.

So is change good or bad?

I've had a couple of times in my life where change really was good and brought something really good into my life. However, I think there's no point in forcing yourself to think that change is good, no matter what. It's okay to think "screw this, things were a lot better before...". However, you should always form an opinion based on the pros and cons instead of just your gut-feeling.

So for short. Change might be good, or might not. But blindly believing in the old phrase can be bad for you. You're allowed to think things were better before, you're allowed to oppose change if you think it's not good for you. Face the change, think about the pros and cons and make a decision. If you think the situation was better before, do what you can to get back into a similar one.

That said, don't be afraid of change. You never know what it brings...

That's it for now. Until next time. Peace. -R