Everything Changes
"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it." - Alan Watts
I had a tiny existential crisis earlier this season when I logged into Instagram after taking a three-month hiatus. Some of my favorite accounts had drastically changed in the period of time that I was away. It was a shock. A jolt that made me question what I was even doing on Instagram and how the changes I made influenced the people who followed me, but it also made me wonder if I had neglected to venture out on a new course out of my fear and resistance of change.
There were two specific profiles that started this thought process for me. One gained international attention after she began posting photos of her toddler and the family puppy taking naps together. Her feed was loaded with these images and they were so cute. Some viral website shared a few of her photos and she gained thousands of followers overnight. Everyone adored the drowsy duo.
The other profile was a woman who Photoshopped these amazing scenes that looked like they were a page of Alice in Wonderland, come to life. They were dark and moody but had a spark of magic to them, with leaves floating around her head in a self-portrait or fireflies twinkling around her daughter while she played in her crib. She even created tutorials on her blog for people who wanted to try their hand in this art form.
This woman no longer shares the dreamy creative pictures and has instead become a fashion influencer; her feed is full of posed portraits featuring the latest trends and her favorite accessories. The mom of the cute kid and dog stopped posting her famous images, mainly because they have grown out of the napping age, but also because I believe she felt a need to use her platform for something more than self-promotion. Along with sharing more real-life adventures in her family, she now focuses on political and cultural topics, using her voice to raise awareness on important issues.
Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. And it stretches far beyond the realm of Instagram into every aspect of our lives. I began following these two women because of what they posted at the time, but like us all, they evolved into something new, and I certainly can't expect them not to. They didn't owe me anything.
We have become so resistant to change, but the truth is, it is happening whether we want it to or not. The people in our lives are changing. Landscapes, routines, roles, seasons, life cycles - all changing. We live in a fluid world and the question is whether we will resist the change or whether we will roll with it, evolving along with everything else.
The reason I struggled so much with these changes on Instagram (let's be real - they were inconsequential when looking at the big picture) was that I was so accustomed to the way things were. I was used to my feed looking a certain way, and at first, it was a disappointment that was no longer the case.
I then began thinking about what the reaction would be if I made such a change. I wouldn't want to stick to the status quo just because a handful of people expected me to. I would want to be able to follow my heart in the direction I knew I was supposed to be headed, and the opinions of others shouldn't affect that. And that's exactly what these two women did - follow their hearts and make the changes necessary to advance in a new direction.
When faced with change, you can do one of two things. You can resist change or you can roll with it. You can adapt and figure out a new way to embrace it, or you can walk away. With these two women on Instagram, I knew I'd have to learn to find a new way to connect or move on. In the end, I did both. I chose to unfollow one, as she was no longer producing content I was interested in. The other, I still follow because I love that she is using her platform to raise awareness on important issues and ones that aligned with my own values.
This Instagram example is only a tiny fragment of all the change that's going on in our lives every day, and the outcome of my dilemma really wasn't a big deal, but it made me aware of how resistant to change I had become. I was able to process my reaction to these changes and apply them to the big picture.
Change is something we will always have to deal with. Our relationships will evolve. We'll accept new employment opportunities. Our kids will grow up. We'll move house. We'll lose loved ones. The world around us will begin to look different. And yes, our favorite Instagrammers will flip the script and start posting content that is completely foreign to what we're used to. So will you resist the change or will you roll with it?
