
Photo by Brett Jordan
Change arrives in our lives through two different doors: the one we open willingly and the one that swings open uninvited. This is an important distinction, simple and profound, which shapes how we navigate the constant transitions in our lives.
The changes we initiate are the fruits of our intentions and choices —career pivots, relationships we nurture, habits we cultivate, are far from being free of their challenges but remain fundamentally expressions of our agency.
Then there are changes thrust upon us—job losses, health crises, global disruptions. These arrive unannounced, indifferent to our readiness.
As humans, we instinctively resist unwelcome change. We fight against it with tensed muscles and spinning minds in the search for alternatives that no longer exist.
In this resistance – this refusal to accept what already is, we simply create a prison for ourselves. What you resist persists they say, not because the change grows stronger, but because your attention remains fixed on something you cannot alter.
A tree that doesn’t bend . Where I live there are plenty of trees that don’t bend with strong winds, and guess what. They all eventually break.
Similarly, resisting inevitable change depletes us of energy and attention. The energy we spend fighting what cannot be changed equals the energy unavailable to us for creating what can be.
Personal power exists not in controlling external circumstances but in directing internal focus. When change arrives uninvited, we face a choice more consequential than the change itself: where to direct our attention next.
Look how water doesn’t struggle against an obstacle but simply flows around, over or under to continue its journey. This is not passive acceptance but intentional redirection of energy.
So then, the question becomes: What change can I initiate today? What small step is available within my control?
Each morning presents an opportunity for intentional action. Go and write for fifteen minutes, initiate that difficult conversation you’ve been putting off, go find a new approach to a old problem. These small choices, accumulated daily, create paths more powerful than grand gestures of resistance ever could.
When an unexpected change arrives, notice the physical sensations that accompany your resistance—tightened shoulders, shallow breathing, narrowed perspective. These sensations signal energy being misdirected. Rather than fighting what cannot be undone, redirect that energy toward what can be created.
Those who master change understand that freedom doesn’t come from controlling external events but from choosing where their attention flows. By focusing on self-initiated changes—however small—we reclaim agency in the world.
This approach doesn’t eliminate problems or prevent unwelcome changes. It simply prevents them from becoming the centre around which our lives revolve.
What could shift in your experience if, instead of struggling against the unchangeable, you redirected that energy towards what you can create?
Take this as my invitation to release what can’t be controlled and embrace the power of what can.
From personal experience I can promise you that by accepting this invitation you’ll find your own way to a life defined more by conscious creation than reaction.
The door of possibilities always opens when you dare to push it.