The Most Abnormal Characteristic on Earth

There’s such a stigma around the idea of people changing. “You’ve changed,” is rarely a compliment. Oddly, the gut reaction when someone strips away longstanding interests and find other interests is often to critique. But, isn’t evolution important? Wouldn’t one only hope to become vastly different over time?

I do.

To use extreme examples to explain my point, celebrities often live and die by their ability to evolve. Michael Jackson wasn’t going do go on to have the success he had holding on to the Jackson 5 version of himself. It’s why punk rock group, Green Day, is still captivating and contributing today. Their success started with an album about teenage rebellion and feces and evolved to the environmentally, politically conscious rock they produce today.

Maybe when you look to friends and acquaintances that have changed, we should be more kind. Maybe we even ought to applaud them. On the other hand, I think it’s the people with the same habits, interests, and expertise over and over that we might need to worry most about.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach