3 Reasons Change is Important and the Benefits of Change

Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.
Benjamin Franklin

What was the first thing that crossed your mind when you read the above quote? How would you interpret it?

Although I came across the quote in my early 20s, it took many years for me to truly appreciate its meaning.

It’s one of those things we can only understand after having lived a little and made our fair share of mistakes.

The quote implies some important aspects of life: why change is important in our lives, why we should embrace it, and how we can enjoy the benefits of change.

Long Lost Dreams

When we’re young, we dream about many things:

Things to accomplish
Places to visit
People to meet
A dream life to chase

We’re fearless and ready to conquer the world.

The possibilities seem endless.

We have abundant energy and are excited about our unknown future, full of hopes.

By the time we cross the age of 25, most of us have started a career or are a couple of years into one.

We finally have our dream job (or something close to it).

We have a regular paycheck, collect material possessions, form a social circle, and start settling in.

And then the inevitable happens: we become comfortable.

We become so comfortable that we are afraid of making any change.

Um… dream? What dream?

Our dreams are long forgotten.

We prioritize maintaining the status quo and striving for comfort.

We turn into cogs in the wheel, stuck in a job we hate, and coast through life with no passion or excitement.

We may live till 75, but we might as well have died at 25.

That’s how I interpret this quote.

And it made me think about the importance of change.

Here are 3 reasons change is important in our life:

1. Change is Important Because It Helps Us Evolve

We are innately resistant to change.

Our brain perceives a familiar place as the best and safest for us. Therefore, it prevents us from deviating from what we know.

However, change is inevitable. As the ancient philosopher Heraclitus said:

The only thing that is constant is change.
Heraclitus

If you resist this simple fact, you’ll fall far behind and become increasingly irrelevant to the world around you while the rest of the world moves on quickly.

Imagine if everyone wanted to communicate via instant message, but you insisted on sending a letter by post.

2. Change is Important Because It Forces Us to Grow

Change pushes us out of our comfort zone.

It challenges us to:

Face new situations.
Solve problems.
Move to a new place.
Learn to deal with a new system.
Adopt a new culture.
Collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.

As our lives continuously evolve, we have to face a new reality and new possibilities.

We go through a process of trial and error. We adapt, learn, expand our experiences, and grow personally.

We not only build memories through various changes and experiences but also expand our horizons.

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.
John D. Rockefeller

3. Change is Important Because We Get to Know Ourselves

The more we experience, the more we tune into ourselves.

Through changes and challenges, we learn and discover:

Our strengths and weaknesses
Our non-negotiable personal values
Things that make us happy or miserable
Things we like or dislike

We get to choose to do more of what makes us happy and spend more time with people whose values align with our own.

Changes help us establish a solid identity for ourselves, which makes us more confident and encourages us to keep experiencing and growing personally.

Change in all things is sweet.
Aristotle

Final Thoughts

There was a time when I resisted change at all costs because I was too comfortable.

When I look back on those days, every day looked practically the same, with nothing new.

Only when I sought change to meet new people, experience and learn new things, and gain new perspectives did life become more colourful.

Embrace change at every opportunity and dive into the unknown, and you’ll give yourself a chance to grow and create a richer life that only changes can bring you.

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