Ikigai Thought for Today: Change
One small thing can make all the difference.
Audio narration by David Marlow
“I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed!”
George Carlin
Though we hope for change in some things and wish it otherwise for other things, in the end, everything changes, even stone.
We must guide it, embrace it, or accept it.
I took the picture above during my days working in a corporate environment. I laughed so hard at the absurdity of the sign because it is typical of the way we are encouraged to see change.
By its homage to road signs, it implies there is a direction we could go to embrace change while countering that with the nonsense of the double arrow. Instead, it added to the frustration of the employees feeling like change was everywhere with no real guidance on how to ‘get there.’
The path to change is unironically, to make a change.
Each moment presents us with opportunities to make subtle adjustments that can profoundly alter our course.
For the past year, I’ve engaged in a prayer and meditation practice focused on change. While many things go into this practice one simple thing may have been the most impactful.
🌀 Making a tiny change.
In the teaching, I was encouraged to change the way I started my day. When we do things the same way day after day, our brains remained rooting in the same neural pathways. I wanted to change my thinking so to signal to my body and brain a change had occurred, I changed my morning routine.
Nothing major. For a week I shaved with my opposite hand. Then I switched back but began my shave on the opposite side of my face. Every so often I introduce another small change to break the automatic aspect of starting my day. Or I return to a practice while surrounding it with other small changes so the entire activity is somewhat different.
Each day I do something to say to my body and my mind that I am not the ‘same’ as I was yesterday.
None of these on their own are going to dramatically alter my life which is why they provide beautiful steps along the way. There’s no pressure, no great struggle or task. I’m building my change muscle while laying the groundwork for a bigger change.
Each day brings you closer to your Ikigai. What is one small thing you could do differently tomorrow to tell your body and mind you are not the same, you are one step closer to the person you were always meant to be?
Quest well
This is a frightening concept. I start my day with Substack even though I’ve told myself I should start with yoga and meditation. Cocooning myself in this pool of like-minded people lets me know I’m not alone in my thoughts, but it also increases my anger and anxiety. I am in stasis.
This is interesting and timely. We spoke today of prayer, and how rote prayer becomes recitation rather than communication. How changing words, physical position, or time of day can break the routine and deepen prayer.