Walking across Central Park the other morning, I passed a woman who stood in the middle of the pathway, seemingly talking to herself. As I registered that she was on her cell phone, it dawned on me that not too very long ago someone standing in the middle of a pathway talking to herself would have been a sign of someone with a problem. What I noticed most was that I have become conditioned to expect that someone talking to him- or herself automatically signifies a cell phone. Not too many years ago, that definitely wouldn’t have been my first interpretation. That got me to thinking about how life constantly asks us to be willing to change our perspective as circumstances change, which they do constantly.

All of this got me to thinking, as well, about the style we bring to change that invites, or requires, us to shift our perspective, to shift how we think about things, and how we respond. Sometimes, changing perspectives is an adventure, fun, something we enjoy because of the delight of a happy surprise. This can happen when we find out that we have a talent we didn’t know we had, or when a new rule for traffic flow that initially requires us to be more aware of what we’re doing ultimately results in an easier drive to work. Sometimes, changing our perspective brings with it feelings of vulnerability, sadness or maybe anger, as treasured ways of looking at the world, or perceiving ourselves, dissolve in the face of new evidence or input. This can happen when a natural disaster comes and we discover that what we thought created security doesn’t actually do the job, or when we enter a new course of study we think will be a snap and we find ourselves challenged in ways that shift our perspective on our skill base and capabilities.

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to explore your relationship with change, with how easily – or not – you move into a new perspective, a new idea, a new vision/ interpretation of yourself and/or your world. Do you struggle with change and want it to go away? Or, do you drop into curiosity and pay attention to what’s coming into your experience that’s different and, possibly, initially uncomfortable? Do you feel threatened when you realize that things aren’t the same as they were before, that something new has come into your world and that things will never be the same again?

As with all the experiments, be sure to engage this one with a sense of exploration and discovery – as a way to learn more about your internal flexibility and relationship with change. Since change is the one thing we can absolutely depend on in life, it’s worthwhile to develop as resilient a relationship with it as we can. This doesn’t mean we have to like all the changes that come our way, or that we can refuse to accept some of them if that choice is available to us. The key here is to know that change is inevitable and to become familiar with what works best for each of us when we come face to face with this inevitability.