Change is the law of life

Change is an interesting topic, and one that is seen differently when looked at by individuals from different age groups. During my 35 years in public education and my years as a graduate school instructor, I had numerous opportunities to act as a mentor to young teachers, as well as professionals in other career areas. Many of the young instructors and other professionals that I worked with, were quite content with their life, happy to have achieved the level of a professional educator or employee. Many of them were quite comfortable in their role and gave little thought to their professional future. I would often times caution them that they were too young to be place oriented, they needed to give thought to being career oriented. That one bit of advice seemed to awaken many of them to the possibilities that existed if they accepted the idea that change could be a positive thing.

My mentorship responsibilities also included working with professionals more experienced in their field of work; individuals with advanced degrees, professional accomplishments, and leadership roles within their profession. Mentioning the word change to these individuals was almost always met with laughter as they saw themselves in a comfortable and settled position in life. When confronting their responses, I noted how learning is a lifelong endeavor, and no level of comfort should keep us from striving to attain future growth. I found that many of them, when they focused on their future found new paths to follow in order to grow professionally.

It is easy to discuss change and its impact on our lives when you are giving professional advice, and much harder when you're speaking to the person you are looking at in the mirror. When I retired after 35 years in education, I found myself looking in the mirror and asking, “Who am I? I was no longer the educational leader I identified with for so many years, and had to learn from my own advice, that learning never stops, and we can all find new avenues or paths in life if we accept the belief that change is a good thing, and that we can all learn and grow. I searched and found those paths, which have kept me active and involved over the last 17 years. When someone asked me, what I would do if I wasn’t Mayor of Darien, my response was that I would just have to find a new career path.

Yes, change can be frightening, and many will have difficulties coping with the changes that take place as a result of their age and life experiences. What I have learned and what I would share with others of any age group dealing with change is as C.S. Lewis states, “there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Change can be frightening, yet exciting and my hope is that we can all look at what can be rather than what was in the past.