Everything Changes! Fundamental Principles of Change No.1

Posted on Jul 17th, 2008 by

Want to change the world? Want to make the world a better place? Great! Every one of us is needed, and yet there's a paradox in the process... We must be willing and able to change ourselves before we can effectively change anything else. That's what Mahatma Ghandi meant when he said, "Be the change you want to see." As it turns out, changing ourselves is more difficult than it sounds...

Everything Changes! is presented here as a series of blogs providing a roadmap to understanding the fundamentals and dynamics of change. It doesn't exhort you to change, instead it tries to reveal some of the natural barriers that arise when you attempt to change or unwanted change descends upon you. And it doesn't stop there; it goes on to offer proven methods for working around these natural barriers. By the end you have a blueprint for understanding the fundamental dynamics of change. And with some practice you can more readily assimilate change, but more importantly you've acquired the knowledge to be the change you want to see! Come on, the world needs you!!

I N T R O D U C T I O N

This course is about clarifying the conditions that surround our experience of change. It shifts our perspective of change from subject to object so that we may understand the experience more fully and in the process become better equipped to handle change whenever it arises in our lives.

Our present way of seeing change is as something that happens to us. "We didn't expect it, but suddenly overnight everything changed." From this angle we make ourselves victims of change. Change acts on us, and is an unwelcome part of our experience. From this perspective we make ourselves subject to change, it essentially 'has us.'

In this course we shift our way of seeing change from something that we are subject to, to a perspective that steps outside the experience allowing us to objectify the elements of change. By taking up a position outside the change experience we shift our view from one in which change 'has us' to one in which 'we have it.' The process of objectifying change sets the stage for an expanded understanding and provides us with a view that makes it easier to identify new ways of handling change.

In part one we begin to shift our perspective by exposing the underlying fundamentals--the dynamics of change. We start with a macro view tracing the effects of change to the universal laws of cause and effect. Working our way down we seek to uncover the principles of change from an objective point of view.

In part two we maintain the objective examination as we look at the impact change has on us. Here we turn our attention to the inner reaction triggered by our perception of change. We begin to see that the change we find disruptive is colliding with the accepted beliefs, opinions and assumptions of our internal operating system.

In part three the discussion builds on the findings from parts one and two. Divided into two sections, our first objective is to deepen our understanding of how our internal operating system functions. We explore the need for control, the role of fear, our need to know, and the loss created by change. This provides us with new insight and exemplifies the barriers that arise in response to change. The second portion of part three is devoted to exploring the various ways of beginning to work more effectively with our internal operating system. Central to this process is tuning into our thinking and becoming more aware of how we're responding to our outer experiences.

The key to the problems posed by change can be found in us. Much of the change we're experiencing is being created by us--by humanity as a whole. The laws of cause and effect guarantee that change will be an ever-growing experience in our lives. There are all kinds of change; each of us is forced to deal with the events that arise for us. Whatever changes you're experiencing the information offered in this course can make difference.

Table of Contents

Part One: Fundamental Principles of Change

   Understanding Change
   From Subject to Object
   Laws of Cause and Effect
   Cause and Effect and Change
   Cause reflects Action
   Continuous Action
   Summary

Part Two: How Change Impacts Us

   Our Internal Operating System
   Thoughts Expressed as Beliefs
   Internal Operating System Summary
   Change Requires Learning
   Summary

Part Three
Section One: How our Internal Operating System Functions

   The Internal Operating System
   The Need for Control
   The Impact of Fear
   The Need to Know
   Change as an Implied Loss

Part Three
Section Two: Methods to Gaining More Control of our Internal Operating System

   Upgrading the Internal Operating System
   Transformational Learning
   Addressing the Need for Control
   Observing Our Thoughts
   Methods for Handling Fear
   Past, Present, Future
   Actions Create Effects
   Patterns of Thought
   The Power of Positive Thinking
   Keeping a Journal
   Conclusion

Note to reader: Thanks for reading. My intention is to post a new segment every few days. Each segment will be headed with Everything Changes! and will follow a numeric sequence, No. 1, No. 2, etc. Please feel free to send me your questions or comments.

Copyright 2008. The information here is reproduced from Everything Changes! Understanding and Dealing with the Change in our Lives. It is provided for your personal use. The material may not be reproduced, copied or used in any other way without written permission from the author, Dan Richardson.