Change: Fear or Fun?

One thing i notice often about my son is his never ending love for new things. Maybe it's the feeling of exploration or just the excitement of a new experience but he is always up for learning or experiencing something new. What is it about us that changes as we age? More often then not we begin to fear change. It isn't so much change that bothers us, it is often having to learn something new. What is it about growing older that makes learning new things change from fun to fear? It always makes the chuckle when I walk into Walmart and hear someone fussing about a change in the layout of the store. Walmart of course does this so you have to walk every isle gazing at all their product before you can find what your looking for, all in the hope that you will put something in your cart you didn't intend to. I've also seen people pick up a mouse and keyboard or smartphone for the first time and quickly put it down in frustration. So what does all this come down to? Pride, because we don't like to look like a fool. At Walmart if you shop there enough you soon feel like the master of the store, knowing where every item is by memory but then one day you come in and they changed it all and you no longer feel like the master shopper but like a novice somewhat foolish. The same happens with technology, we are scared to look foolish learning something so new when it feels like everyone else around you already knows it like it's second nature. The truth is, they were once where you are but they choose taking the risk of looking foolish over not learning it at all and giving up. So many opportunities in life are missed because of pride and our fear of foolishness. When we drop the pride, we become life long learners, we become like my son who is always looking for the next thing to explore and discover. So what will you choose, a life driven by pride and fear or a life filled with learning and excitement? Keep in mind that what you have learned thus far in life has likely come from your pre-pride days. Let's let a little foolishness in and re-gain our child like curiosity!!!

Brad