Impending Change — Introvert Edition
Change is inevitable and intimidating for many. It enables an inflow of new ideas, criticism and interaction with people in general. But if you’re introverted like me, you would probably find certain things absolutely dreadful.
I’m facing imminent change and a sea of emotions are brimming and swirling in my mind. At the time of writing this article, I’m left with the final few weeks of college and I wish to capture some thoughts regarding expanding my frontiers into the bigger world outside university.
Old College days
We were ushered into college as soon as we finished school and for three years and eight months, it’s practically been home. Every aspect of my life revolved around this single institution. Unlike the larger universities, the college I attended was small, but premiere nonetheless.
I can’t possibly forget the first professor who walked into my classroom, he was the significant reason why learning got fun for a lot of us. Programming is one of the very few things I’m passionate about and when he realized it, he didn’t hold back and supported me to his fullest. Besides that, I met amazing people too. We formed a gang and we call ourselves the “University Seven” (Weird name, it’s the team name for a Hackathon and we stuck with it). We had common interests and regularly talked about trends, computers, psychology and all the nerdy stuff friends do. We had our dreams and aspirations, and you could always expect ceaseless support and encouragement from everyone. These were the most thoughtful and mature people I’ve met and I’m simply glad to have gotten to know them and grow in their midst.
It wasn’t smooth sailing, but even through all the highs and lows, this phase of life was great. I learnt, loved and enjoyed plenty.
Change is Scary
There is always a fear of how life could go wrong but, predominantly it’s sadness in knowing that this phase must end. Perhaps, I’m intimidated by the responsibility and possible unsatisfactory performance career wise. Eventually, I did some self reflection and realized that my worst fear, is my life being boring. After all, I’m stepping into the software world populated by people hunched over, ogling at a computer all day long which is clearly unhealthy. It was fun in college but, would I like to continue the same o’l routine in my adult life too?
No, obviously not! Even though by nature, I prefer being alone working on my computer, I’ve realized that it’ll just make me sad in the long run. I need to embark on a quest to establish new relationships, risk criticism and failure to avert a bland, boring life which is honestly hard for me.
Fear of change — Not being good enough
This concept is universal and is the primary aspect of motivation and improvement. It is essential to understand that we can always be better and we must aim to evolve and improve. However, it’s a double edged sword capable of shattering your self esteem. I’ve struggled a lot with this issue and this hampers my interaction with people fearing their judgement.
This concept turns destructive when we lack encouragement, constructive criticism and lose hope. To be honest, it’s difficult to find folks who are genuinely encouraging. I’ve had dogmatic people in life, who shoot down ideas even as you mention the very first letter of it. Heed my advice and stay away from such folks or if they’re unavoidable, simply stop sharing your ideas with them. You’ll be a little short on encouragement, but nonetheless, you won’t be miserable.
Another important tip is to always accept constructive criticism. Don’t shut it off, and incorporate those ideas into life as you grow. I know it stings, hearing opinions of those who don’t even know the struggles you’ve been through. But, for someone to take time to understand your situation and produce a thoughtful and beneficial opinion about it, is a clear display of love. Trust me, keep such people close because when you lose track, these are the folks you’ll inspire you to get back on it.
Lastly, never ever lose hope. It is always essential to visualize the ultimate goal. Patience is of great importance as certain tasks take a great deal of effort and time. It is reasonable to seem like you’re not making any progress at all. But thoroughly realize what needs to be done for the day and do it. It all accumulates over time and before you know it, you’re already there.
Overcoming Change — Evolve
The giant insects of the Carboniferous period, Woolly mammoths of Ice Age, the giant flightless birds and numerous other creatures of the old have gone extinct. The reason being, rapid changes in their environment. But every single animal we see today have survived, all because of evolution. Thus, when we are faced with change, we must evolve to truly thrive. Since everyone of us live different lives, we must evaluate the change we seek in ourselves and work towards it.
As a student holed up in his room, I definitely require a change in my routine, diet and interpersonal skills, prioritizing health, relationships and career. I hope for the best!
Post word
Thanks for reading! Sometimes change is required, other times it is forced upon us. But regardless of that, let’s all face change with courage and determination to achieve success. I wish you all the best :)
References
[1] Life
