Change. The foundation for opportunity. Do you fear it or embrace it? I’m not talking metaphorically. I mean right now, how do you react to change?
For a moment, imagine life without change. Pretty boring, don’t you think? Every day – same old, same old. Of course, change can be perceived by many as scary, threatening. As humans we tend to be creatures of habit. We may choose to stay with that same boring routine because it’s what we know.
Except, change is good. Good for your health, society, the economy and your soul. And, it just so happens, it’s essential. Essential in ourselves, in our writing, our fictional characters and their worlds.
No one is above the need for change. Take a look at one of our favorites here at the blog: When Odin thrust Thor out of Asgard, sending him crashing down to Earth, our Norse god was forced to face change in a very hard and raw way. He knew nothing but the way of a powerful god and warrior. He was now nothing more than human. He had to open up to new ideas and possibilities. He learned to work with the people around him in coping with his new station. He had to become flexible. But he also learned. And the knowledge and understanding he gained educated him in a way he wasn’t open to before – as a stubborn headed god.
It was through the important aspects of change that Thor was able to redeem himself and reclaim his hammer, Mjölnir. How did Thor do this? He was flexible to his new situation (eventually), learned from it and, in the end, gained perspective and found a new set of priorities. All this due to change. Without it, no Thor, no hammer. That would be no good.
Thor’s Redemption
How else do we benefit from change? When Dr. David Banner subjected himself to a failed gamma radiation experiment, the results were, let’s say, less than desirable for the researcher. His increased adenine-thymine level, mixed with the accidental overdose of gamma ray gave us the “other” guy. That’s some serious change right there, and one Banner feared immensely. He tried to lock it down. Keep it caged up and suppressed. But change can be a learning process. And Banner would learn, as seen at the end of The Avengers, it’s sometimes necessary to expand one’s comfort zone and embrace the new in order to build your self-confidence and acquire the necessary skills and abilities for the task ahead.
Once Dr. David Banner accepted all of what he was, green guy and all, only then could he build upon his strengths and become the champion his team needed him to be. Change made that all possible.
The Hulk’s acceptance of self
But you know, one of my all time favorite changes is the one I watched John Crichton go through on Farscape. John was just an astronaut looking to test fly his space module when he suddenly got sucked into a wormhole and spit out in some far away distant part of the universe right into the middle of a space dispute. The sudden appearance of his ship causes the destruction of a fighter and the death of its pilot. He ends up on a large living ship (as in she is alive) piloted by a handful of escaped convicts that the fighters are trying to recapture. John Crichton is now wanted for the death of their captain.
Crichton has a HUGE change to adapt to. But it’s one filled with immense opportunities. He has endless cultures, agricultures, education, religions, trade and business systems at his disposal to now explore. New bonds of friendship and love to develop. And what started in chaos and confusion becomes home. Even when Earth is within his grasp, he chooses his new family. Crichton utilized all avenues to a positive outcome from change. Hurtling in from Earth a mere mortal, he:
- Educated himself as efficiently and quickly as possible to become a productive member of the crew, as well as better situate himself to reach his goals.
- He focused on his priorities at each stage of the game. As his relationships developed and grew, so did his priorities morph and change.
- He built upon his strengths. In his case that would be his scientific knowledge and fun earth banter no one else understood.
- He gained perspective as he came to understand the escaped prisoner’s plight and the mission of the Peacekeepers (military force looking to recapture them).
- He built his self-confidence as he gained ground in all the other areas, establishing a comfort zone as a prime member and decision maker among their small crew.
- And he always remained flexible. I mean, you have to when you get shot out of a wormhole into another part of the galaxy and start spending your time with beings that look nothing like you, right?
All these things helped him successfully adapt. If asked up front if he’d like to take such a journey, my guess is he’d have declined. But he would have missed out on the greatest adventure of his life-as well as the love of his life. So, whether you fear change or not, look for the opportunity within and embrace it.
So many things about John Crichton
Maybe you want to seek out your own change? Lisa Hall-Wilson recently wrote a wonderful post about the fear of change. Check it out. And Molly Thompson Pendlebury reminded us of a post she wrote a while back. Hope you have time to stop in for that as well. .
Rule change. Don’t let it rule you. Stand a little taller for it. Be a little prouder. And march out and make a difference, no matter how big or how small. It all matters. 😀
Do you welcome change in your life? How do you adapt and have you actively sought out change to mix the pot?
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,¸.•*(¸.•` The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Giveaway¸.•´¸.•*´¨)
Participates in the giveaway were numbered in the order their comment was received. Do not count duplicates or comments from the host. Our winner is #3!
Congratulations, Diana Beebe!
Please contact me with your snail mail so that your new hard copy of the first book in Mara Dyer’s story can get on its merry way!………………………………~ᴑoOoᴑ~………………………………
Reminders: It’s never too late to jump on the Thor Tour. All you need to do is drop me a line. Also, this blog will be relocating to a self-hosted site at some point at the end of October, beginning of November. I hope you’ll follow us to the new digs. My fabulous designer, Laird Sapir, and I have some pretty amazing ideas (I think) and I hope you’ll enjoy what we create there.
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I love hearing from you! If you enjoyed this post or any of my previous posts, I’d be delighted to have you hit the follow button or add this blog to your RSS feed! You may also find me on twitter at @DebraKrist. Tootles! Thanks for stopping by!
Wow! I can’t believe I won the book giveaway. Thanks! I’ll send you a note. You made my day twice–because I loved your post today first. 🙂
Change is good. We can’t improve and grow if we don’t adapt to our environment. The movie Groundhog Day is a good example. Phil couldn’t become a better person until he stopped being selfish. While he was figuring that out, he learned a foreign language, how to play the piano, and how to make ice sculptures. More importantly, he learned how to be kind and how to love. I may have to write a post about him. 😉
So glad you’re happy about the win. 🙂
I think a post about Phil would be great. He went through a lot in that movie, and you’re right, learned a lot. Had he not changed he may have been stuck in that same day indefinitely. No that may have been a nightmare.
It would be a nightmare to live the same day everyday. *shivers*
Oh yeah, change is hard. Just had lunch with a friend whose wonderful husband has been diagnosed with Parkinsons, an amazing, athletic guy, pilots his own planes, hikes, skis. Sometimes it takes awhile to see the good. What’s the story with the first picture and the hospital bed?
Parkinsons is a terribly hard thing to adjust to. I had a girlfriend whose husband was diagnosed a decade ago. He was brilliant in his job before that. It has been a massive change to their lives. I still get emails from him every week. One change it forced on them was to slow down.
The picture. I didn’t address it because it didn’t fit with my sci-fi/superhero take and it was a last minute addition for prop. I couldn’t find a public domain shot of the one I wanted. That picture is a reminder of a time when the doctor set my sister’s arm wrong resulting in one of the bones in her arm to fuse ro the growth plate. This caused one side to keep growing while the other didn’t. The result, her arm began to curve inward as it grew. Here they had just taken bone from her hip to even out the Ulna and the Radius within the arm. That arm will forever be shorter than the other because of the stunted growth done in her early years.
I recently did a lesson in a writing course where we had to dig into our past, and it’s made me think a lot lately about how much I’ve changed. That kind of change, where we learn and grow, is definitely good, even if painful in the process. Sometimes I stagnate and don’t feel like I’ve learned anything new or accomplished much, and I know I need something to shake up. Of course figuring out -what- to shake up is tricky. But necessary to get oneself out of a rut of complacency. Thanks for a thought-provoking blog!
Oh, yeah, I was wondering about the photo, too …?
I completely agree! When I think of stagnate I’m reminded of the pools of water that eventually attract mosquitoes. I don’t want to be that pool. 😐 Remain flexible – always changing. Sounds like a great lesson in your writing course. Kudos to that one.
Thank you, Jennette, for the great complete.
The picture: if you want the the detailed answer check out my answer to Julia. Quick response, my sister had to have surgery and adjust for a doctor’s mistake when he set her broken arm incorrectly.
Love this! I am all about change. I hate being stagnant….
I would never guess that about you. 😉 Thanks, Susie!
Hahaha!
I just read our horoscope in the paper and it said that a little change is good! No lie. 5 stars!
Fabulous!! Or should I say… hideous! 😀 That couldn’t be more perfect! Thanks for sharing.
I already added hitting the weight room as a “little change….” 🙂
That’s exactly what I need to start doing again. I have slacked off since I started blogging. SLACKER!
Hey. I went once…so far…. 🙂
You’re one up on me. 😐
I used to be great reacting to change, but the older I get . . . not so much.
I really need to watch Farscape! 🙂
I think it depends on the change, Elisa. Sometimes something inside of us hardens to one side or the other of change and that can make it difficult. Plus, you are correct, the older we get the harder change can be. But you are far too young to be talking that way!
You really must watch Farscape! LOVED that show. The fans got it to come back for a half season with a wrap-up of the storyline when it came to an end. I think I’m due for some DVD revisits.
I have a fear of change, though it’s a bit like the fear of the dentist: once it happens it doesn’t seem so bad.
Ah, but to seek it out! Now that is something I desperately need to learn.
Thanks for a brilliant, thought provoking post.
I understand that completely. It’s the fear of the unknown. If you could see the outcome before you embarked you might feel differently, but then you’re also learning a little something about courage along the way. That courage is what will help you eventually attain your goal. 😉
Thanks so much, Dean. It was lovely having you stop in.
Loving your new pic!
I’m always a little uncomfortable about change, but I know I need to mix things up a bit. I sometimes feel I got stuck in a rut after college with the day job and living in the same city.
Thanks so much! I’m having a little trouble getting twitter and FB to cooperate with me and change my pic to match. Grrr.
Change is one of those things you can’t always control, but when you can you can choose to do it in phases or in baby steps. Take my hair for example. I always wanted to do something like what you see – originally it was the black tips like Terry Nunn. I never did that. What I did do was color the underside of my hair red so it was visible some of the time but I could hide it when I wanted to. That was my baby step. Stuck in a rut – change something about your routine. Start there and move on from that. You might be surprised what will ignite the spark in you.
I’m going to try a baby step and see how that goes. Thanks, Debra.
Cool new pic, Debra! I didn’t watch Farscape, but I love the analogy you made with Thor and Hulk.
I’m a huge fan of Thor’s theme song (“Walk” by The Foo Fighters), and it’s all about change.
It’s hard to embrace change, isn’t it? Just when we think we’ve reached a point in life when things are stable, something (or somebody) changes. I see how it can ben good, but it can ben exhausting too… 🙂
Great post, my friend!
Thank you, Fabio. Life is always in flux. That’s one of the cool things about it. It can be exhausting though. I have been through some big changes in my life and I think I’m better for it. Now I’m saying, “Bring it on!” You should be going through an exhilarating and somewhat scary change right now. Yet you know it will take you great places. 🙂
As hard as it may be at the time, change is life and life is change, we must embrace it!
I couldn’t agree with you more, Prudence. Thank you for your wise words. 🙂
I can’t imagine living without embracing changes. Stagnant is not the way to live 🙂
I agree, stagnant is no way to live. Life is ever evolving and so change is inevitable. Thanks so much for stopping by, Angela!
I get bored easy so I like change. OTOH, resisting change is far easier than making the change.
I’m watching Lisa’s blog and my mailbox for Thor’s arrival. I’ve been plotting and planning his visit. He’s going to have so much fun at my house. 🙂
Yes, easier, but not better. It’s also easier to stay in bed all day. 😀
It’s a long trip across the Atlantic. I haven’t gotten word that our guy has landed yet. It took about 10 or 11 days for him to make the trip that direction so it’s about time for him to show up in your lovely country. Thor has his own page with links, map and facts ready to launch any day.
Love the pink hair…and the post! (I especially like that you worked Tony, Thor, David, Steve and Clint in…Natasha, too, I suppose :)).
Do I embrace change? Depends on what the change is, I suppose…because not all change is good. Nor is it all beneficial. But as long as it’s not THAT kind of change, I’m okay with it. And sometimes I look forward to it. Probably not as often as I should though. I may or may not work on that. LOL…the only change I want to see happen soon is to start getting more sleep. 🙂
Wow, Debra, I haven’t been over here for a while and you’ve changed your hair! Love the new profile pic. My friends used to know when I was going through a big change because I would dye my hair red. I still embrace inner change by making outer changes. Don’t know why, but it eases the tumult for me.
Thanks, Debra. Sounds like you established a ritual that gave you comfort through the change even if you weren’t aware of. Good for you. After my son was born I dyed the under layers of my hair red. That was the first time I ever messed with the natural blonde. Change can be scary, but once you embrace it it can also be freeing and exhilarating. Thanks for stopping by!
Like Debra Eve I have a need to make outer changes when the inner changes are happening. For me, I think it gives me two things: a sign that I’m embracing this change but also a little control, a reminder that I am in charge of how I change. 🙂 Nice post.
That’s a smart move. I can completely understand that. It’s in our nature, after all, to want to maintain control over our situation. Both you and Debra have found an excellent way to do that. Thanks for sharing.
I’m with some of your other commenters – I change the outside when the inside stuff is going on. But only as I near the end of the process. It’s always a sign to me that I’m changing.
Are you saying you save the outer change as a type of reward for having completed the process? That’s a pretty cool idea. I like that. Thanks, Louise.
Groundhog Day is another good example of how destructive the lack of change can be. Phil lived the same day over and over, even killing himself to try to escape, until he finally looked inside to change himself. That’s when he was also able to change his circumstances and escape the loop.
Indeed. Groundhog Day is an excellent example. It only took Phil how many tries to get it right? We don’t really know, do we? But inside is usually where the change needs to take place. That’s where it matters most. Everything else is window dressing. Thanks, Marcy!
How CUTE are you with pink hair?!?!? 🙂 I love it, Debra. I agree with you… Change really is invaluable. Even negative changes can help use learn and grow. I tend to embrace and seek change in many ways—definitely keeps life exciting.
Thanks so much, August. I’m glad you like it. I think I’ll keep it. 😉 I completely agree with you. As much as we fight negative change I know I have gained emense insight from mine and I thank my lucky stars for it. It’s made me the person I am today. Everything for a reason, I always say. Thank you, August.
I think, like most people, I both fear change and crave it. I do tend to like to go places and do things I’m familiar with over going new places and meeting new people. I often have to push myself to get out of my comfort zone.
If you are an introvert, like myself, you will find the familiar much more comforting than the new. I totally get that. I think we need to go about it in stages and small steps. That’s the best way to get there. Standing still can’t be an option. But that’s why we all have each other, to help us move forward and succeed. 😀
There’s a story called “Christmas Every Day,” in which a little girl gets her wish and her life turns into Groundhog Day for kids. Change often takes us out of our comfort zone, but I know it is an agent for personal growth. Great post.
I believe I’ve seen a Disney version of this many times. Every kid thinks they’d want each day to be Christmas, but when it really happens they find out how it looses its flavor. It’s a great lesson for kids to learn. After the 100th viewing I’m not sure my kids were getting it. LOL. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks so much for stopping by Naomi!
Great post!!! Thank you so much for the ping back! very cool of you!! :o)
Thanks so much Molly! And you are most welcome for the ping back. 🙂
What a neat topic! I loved the Avengers, but have not seen any of Farscape yet. It’s in my Netflix to-be-watched list, so I hope I get to it soon.
You do such a great job with your blog, Debra. Always a fun read! 🙂
Thank you! I must admit to being a slacker lately. So many things on my plate. But I do love pulling something together. I hope you love Farscape as much as I did/do. Yes, I was even crazy enough to picket for it, when the time came. Got enough episodes to wrap up the storylines. Great shows like that always get short changed. Sigh. For the record, that was the only time I ever did anything for a show publicly. That’s just not who I am. And I did not wear a costume. LOL.
Oh, I just hate it when they cut a show off without letting them at least make an attempt to bring some closure to the series. I think that it’s awesome you were able to do something about that.
Now, when we watch the ending, I’ll tell my family they owe you a bit of thanks for the part you played in helping to make that happen! LOL