The Changeable and Unchangeable Things in Life

The Changeable and Unchangeable Things in Life

The purpose of this article to identify and analyse 'the changeable and unchangeable things' in life that cause stress and anxiety and I hope this article will help in embedding positive change in life. Also it will determine the direction of life which leads to happiness.

In societies, we see people who are stressed, frustrated, depressed and anxious because of different things, for example, some people have problem of relationship, some people want to change job, some of them have the habit of negative thinking process, may be some people stuck in past.

In general there are many factors which cause stress and unhappiness, but these factors vary from person to person. For example, a person may be stressed because of not having a good relationship, but other person may be frustrated because of career.

Many people are frustrated and unhappy in life because, on one hand, they do not accept the circumstances or things that they cannot change or we can say, not have control over, and on other hand they do not focus and work on the things they can change. Therefore, it causes disappointment, frustration, anxiety and suffering in life.

If you make the list of the changeable and unchangeable things in life, you will see the things we can change are more than the things we cannot change. By making list, it becomes easy to identify, understand and steer up directions towards positive change.

A very powerful quotation by Denis Waitley, "change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable".

So, here are the things we can change and the things we cannot change in life:

The Things We Cannot Change In Life

Past- Don’t be Captive of  Your Past

Dwelling in past is common to many people. If I say, we are the captives of our past in one way or other I think it will not be an exaggeration. We regret about past for not having a good relationship, we regret for not taking decisions, we regret for wasting time, we regret for not changing career, we regret for not giving time to family, we regret for choosing wrong friends, and so on. All these regrets cause sufferings and disappointments in life. Thinking about past does not change anything, but steals the happiness of today. 

Therefore, do not become the captive of your past, learn from your past mistakes and move on, that’s the only way to correct the course of your life.

The Nature

Nature is another element we cannot change. The God is the creator of nature and universe. The only possibility we have to accept it. For example,most of the time we complain about weather, because some people like one weather but other people like another. Myself I do not like winter but it does not depend on me, it does not change according to my mood, but I have to change myself and accept it. Therefore, the nature remains the same, it does not change.

Family

The family we have it is not our choice, we are not born in that family by choice. We like or not our family members, father, mother, siblings, it is not possible to change them and will be a family forever. To remain happy we have to accept our family and dis-linking from family may cause stress and suffering.

Physical Appearance

Physical appearance is one of the things we cannot change. God created us in a certain way and the way he created us is the best way. It is impossible to change the physical appearance. Many people we see they complain about their physical look, we must understand that its God creation and we do not have control over to change height, look, and colour of skin, we just have to accept as we are.

Other People’s Opinion, feelings, thinking

This factor is very important to understand. As we know that, we do not have control over what other people think about us, what they feel and what opinion they have about us. We are not  responsible for the actions of others, what they do, what they think, what they say and how they feel, are their own actions and choices. The only way to have stress free and happy life is you have to understand you are the only one who can decide and control your actions.

Here are the things that we can change in life:

The Things We Can Change In Life

Relationship

A good relationship is the guarantee for happy life. Many people stuck in a wrong relationship either in  relationship of wife-husband or relationship with community that causes them frustration, and stress.

As revealed by Harvard University research which lasted for more than seven decades, close relationships are more than money and fame and that keep people happy throughout their lives.

A better relationship can help to delay physical and mental decline. So, if you are in a wrong relationship this is one of the things that you can change and achieve happiness.

The Career

Our professional career is an important element for a happy life. We spend most of our time either on work or with family. It is a normal practice in many societies, people are exhausted, anxious, and frustrated because they are in a career which they do not like, they work but not with commitment and dedication. In whatever field are you, there is always possibility for change. There are two possibilities for change, whatever you do, do it with passion and dedication, if not its better to change it. Remember that,changing career is hard, but possible.

Time and Focus

To have a happy and organised life we need time management and focus. Many people have life disorganised because they do not follow time management and focus on the things which do not change their lives.

Time is precious and focus is essential to achieve anything in life. These are the factors we can change anytime. If you organise and prioritise your time and focus on the things which are important rather than focusing on silly things, you will achieve happiness and avoid sufferings in life.

Mindset

Our mindset is directly related to the circumstances around us. The mindset means how you see the world, your thinking process of looking at the things. In other words, the mentality we have either negative or positive is mindset.

The incidents are nothing but the mindset behind is important. The negative mindset will never leads us to the happiness, rather will make us upset, stress and anxious. We can make transition from negative mindset to the positive one, it will change how we look the things, will change our point of view about life.

As you, as the world is. Negative mindset creates negative emotions, but on the other hand positive mindset creates positive approach. So, replace the earlier with the later.

Belief System

A belief system is a set of principles or an ideology which helps an individual to interpret everyday reality. This system may include religion, politics, philosophy, spirituality, among many other factors.  Our belief system plays an important role in our life.

We born and  grow, we learn and accept many beliefs consciously or unconsciously from our parents, and from society we live. These beliefs are made and influenced by number of factors, such as our knowledge and the way we raised. For example, some people believe that, money is everything it gives you happiness and satisfaction, but on the hand, some people believe money is just a part of life.

To be happy and satisfied in life, you have to analyse your belief system and it will be so good to change the negative beliefs with the positive ones.

comparing yourself with others

This is a common thing many people do. Comparing oneself with others is a silly thing. As very well mentioned by someone, comparison is the thief of your happiness. Just believe that, you are unique there is no comparison with anyone. Only you can compare your today with your yesterday. If you are doing so, stop comparing yourself with others and just focus on yourself.

Attitude

Attitude is everything. Attitude is one of the essentials of our life, it has too much influence on all spheres of life. Attitude is, how we feel or act towards a person, thing, situation or an event. It determines our relationship with people, which means how to behave with. Also attitude determines how we respond to the events and situations.  

If the attitude is negative definitely it will cause stress and anxiety. Negative attitude creates negative circumstances. If you want change in life just change the attitude, you will see dramatic changes in life. When you take the path of positive attitude it will give you pleasure and happiness.

To conclude, we can include many other factors such as habits. We can change the priorities in life. All things discussed above may vary from person to person, this is not a list to fit everyone, but could be more or less similar. It is my version of things that we can and cannot change. Whatever is your list of changeable and unchangeable things, my suggestion is to work on the things that could be changed rather than thinking about things that cannot be changed.