18 Sep Who you’ve been need not be who you can be!
I’ve been thinking quite a lot about change. And about how difficult so many of us find change.
I’m sure there are many reasons for this but one of the more dominant seems to be that we become stuck in who we are.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m well aware that “personality” and “temperament” are real and powerful. That is, there’s little doubt that much of our happiness and success in life is determined by powerful factors such as genetics and early learning history.
At the same time, however, our past need not determine our future; at least definitely not 100%.
Just because we’ve been (insert whatever is relevant) doesn’t mean we have to keep being (insert whatever you previously inserted).
We can change. We can be more than one thing. We can be different!
And more so, I believe this is very important for ongoing happiness, and more generally, for enduring life satisfaction. Because now matter how happy we’ve been doing “x”, at some point, “x” will lose some of it’s shine and lustre.
But if, at an appropriate time, we change “x” to “y”, we become new and different, then happiness and wellbeing can be maintained for longer and more meaningful periods.
Remember, then, that as much as yesterday might influence today and tomorrow, it need not fully determine it. We can learn from our past, but we need not let it be all of our future.
For me, anyway, real and meaningful long-term happiness requires change and adaptation, flexibility and the fun that comes from trying new things!