By Erin Kircher

Contributing Writer

As a three-year-old who enjoyed the comforts of familiarity, I was devastated on the day my mom decided to sell my car seat at a garage sale. As far as I was concerned, that car seat and I had a bond that no one had the right to tear apart.

Of course, that car seat was just as ordinary as any other. What really caused my three-year-old tantrum was the introduction of change in my life. At that point, I was quite naive to the fact that from then on I would face a seemingly constant stream of changing situations.

There is little consistency or predictability in life. In the words of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “nothing endures but change.” My life has taken me in directions that I never imagined possible, some wonderful and some so difficult that I still do not understand why they had to happen. While you are able to shape certain aspects of your life, a large chunk of your experiences are out of your control.

Rather than cling to any bit of constancy in life and hope for time to stand still, I suggest we stop resisting change. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Most of the shadows of life are caused by standing in our own sunshine.” We stand in our own sunshine by resisting the transformation that change brings.

Think of it this way: if times never changed, we would still be stuck as our extremely awkward, middle-school selves. Well, maybe you weren’t awkward, but I certainly was. Of course, at the time, I did not want things to change. Waving a brightly colored poster at the ‘N Sync concert and singing along to “Bye, Bye, Bye,” I seriously thought I might have a chance with Justin Timberlake’s dreamy teenage self.  Thank goodness change endured.

College presents us with an endless number of adjustments. From having your first taste of independence as a first-year to applying for jobs as a senior, no one semester of college is much like another. Add in a dose of personal drama, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

While taking these major steps in personal development can be scary, it also shapes you in influential ways. Not every change is positive or easy, and it is no simple task to smile in the face of adversity. However, negative situations can lead you to positive outcomes.