Creative thinking: Resistance and attachment

Two traits of the human personality do not help you to live better. One is resistance to change. We all know that change is inevitable. We see it all around us, in nature, in things, in situations, in people. What about you? How willing are you to accept change when it is necessary? In spite of what you know, you usually tend to resist the idea of changing something in your life because you are afraid of making a mistake. You think of any possible outcome and, as you cannot be certain of a definitely positive result, you prefer to remain in the status quo rather than risk regretting your choice later. In so doing, you stay put, stuck in a situation, which, although not the best, is at least a familiar challenge to deal with.
But often, when faced by new happenings that defy you, a different kind of choice is required, if you want to progress on your path.
On the other hand, every now and then it happens that, even if you want to, you cannot make the choice of changing something in your life because of your attachment. Attachment (the second negative trait) is a bond of affection that quite often takes a person from a strong connection to someone (or something) toward an excessive or exaggerate emotional tie.
Some people (you, too, maybe?) don’t want to accept an occurrence, keep holding, clinging on a person, on past events, memories, stuff that had an impact on their lives but which, nevertheless, are not available anymore. It is good to feel linked to and appreciate the presence in your environment of people you love, or even things such a house, heirlooms etc. But you should not allow this affection to become a cause of distress in your existence.
The past is gone and you must overcome any feelings of loss you might experience. Remembering is okay, clinging is not.
It is undeniable that living a good, worthwhile life, implies a certain amount of effort, although everyone would happily do without it. It is only natural that human beings would love to have an always pleasant life, and each of us longs for easy times, without struggle and with certainty regarding results.
No need to change anything, no need to release anyone, just keep things the way they are so that we would be sure of the outcome. No surprises, here! But, think for a moment: Were you “always” sure of the outcome, were life to serve you your wishes on a silver tray, would you still feel enthusiastic and hopeful about starting a new day? If you are reading a thriller or watching an exciting movie, how would you feel is someone comes along and tells you how the story ends? Wouldn’t you feel disappointed? Wouldn’t you think that you have been deprived of the actual experience you were entitled to? It is “your” life, “your” experience and you need to go through all the necessary steps to reach the result you want, to achieve your goal, to arrive where you are planning to go. If you are denied the trip, reaching your destination will not be so rewarding.
Therefore, if today is a mixture of joy and sorrow, excitement and boredom, health and pain, need for change and for letting go, endeavor to accept it as a complete, creative palette of feelings that allow you to fully savor the condition called Life.
Each “color,” each element that is part of your day will give you reasons for growth and progress on your chosen path.

— Elsa Franco Al Ghaslan, a Saudi English instructor and published author (in Italy), is a long-time scholar of positive thinking.
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