I don’t often make New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I usually settle on a New Year’s mantra—a common saying or quote that I hope will inspire me throughout the year.  Last year’s quote was simple: “No Fear.” My inspiration for 2017 is similar but more specific: “Don’t Fear Change.”

A familiar saying reminds us the only thing constant in life is change. It’s all around us, and change is scary because it signals entrance into the unknown. Life changes can be stressful, and often heartbreaking, like divorce or death. Sometimes it’s all we can do to struggle through each day following dramatic alterations in our lives. In his book, A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis wrote “It really doesn’t matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist’s chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on.”

And since change is inevitable, we might as well try to learn something from it. Change can offer new viewpoints and opportunities that may have been hidden before life took a decisive turn. It can rouse us out of our comfort zones, forcing us to become better people—more resilient, more productive, and more compassionate.

Most people who know me well know that I hate change. But what’s the alternative? A life that remains constant, safe, and uneventful, without tests and challenges? Although that sounds good on the surface, such a life would lead to a lack of growth, boredom, and eventually—believe it or not—discontent. Maybe what we should fear instead is the absence of change. Oh wait. Scratch that. Refer to last year’s mantra, “No Fear.”

Blog title inspired by the REO Speedwagon song, “Roll with the Changes” from 1978 album “You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish.”