Story Begins with Change | Blog Re-Post!

I love re-posting articles. It's like "Wow, that person is a genius. Imma show my tribe dis." 😂 I love this article by Allyson Jamison (a personal friend of mine. Love ya, girl!), and she has kindly allowed me to share it with you! So here you go!

Change is inevitable.

This is a fact that most people find hard to accept. We all struggle and push against the mere thought. Why would we want our life to change when it’s going so well?

Change is hard to accept. Often, it’s what pushes us into the hard seasons of life and brings about pain—sometimes even grief. But does this mean that change is a bad thing? Some would say so. But if you look at the natural cause and effect style of life, you might see a different pattern.

Viewing the World Like a Book

Have you ever looked at your life like a movie playing out? Or like one of your favorite books, starring you? If you’re any kind of a book nerd, then I think it’s safe to say you’ve done this once or twice (I know I have…don’t judge). Even if you haven’t, I’m going to encourage you to do this for a minute. Bear with me, I have a reason.

If you’ve read any number of books, then I’m sure you’ve realized every book starts with a character wanting something. For years, no doubt, this character has desired this unobtainable thing. But it’s all for naught. There’s no way they could ever obtain it.

Then bam! The plot (a.k.a. LIFE) shows up and shoves this character outside of their comfort zone and towards what they’ve always desired.

But! (Yes, there’s a but.) The character doesn’t see this as some grand opportunity. Take The Ruins of Gorlan, for example (This is the first book in The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan).

Will, the main character, has been waiting fifteen years for the day when he will be chosen for an apprenticeship. (Who you’re apprenticed under affects the rest of your life and marks “who you will be in society.”) As an orphan who never knew his birth parents, all he wants is to make something of himself and be seen as something grand. Which is why he’s always dreamed of becoming a knight.

The day of the choosing comes around and his friends are all chosen for wonderful apprenticeships, ones that fit each one of them perfectly. But Will is skinny and small, seen as a weakling by many. At first, no one chooses him. But then (enter the GRAND MOMENT), he’s chosen not as a knight, but as the next Ranger’s apprentice.

To Will, this is the worst thing that could ever happen to him. The Ranger’s are known for their shadowy ways, which make a lot of people nervous—Will included. In a single moment, all of his dreams of making something of himself and becoming this great hero were just crushed…or so it seems.

You see, as humans, we can be very narrow minded and forget to see the big picture. Will only saw the there and then—that he just lost his one and only dream of becoming a knight. What he failed to notice, however, was the exciting benefits of being a Ranger. What he saw as a devastating change in his life was actually only the starting point to a very fulfilling future.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Will eventually became one of the top Ranger’s and his was a name that everyone was familiar with. He became a legend. But what if he had gotten his original dream and became a knight? What if he had gotten what he thought he wanted? Well, his life would have been a lot different, that’s for sure. But it was because of the change in his life that he ultimately got what he was always seeking.

Embracing Change

Woah, woah—what?! Embrace change?

Yeah, I know. It’s a scary and somewhat foreign concept. I’ll admit, oftentimes I don’t like the change in my life, either. But I’ve come to notice how change can work for the better sometimes. Like I pointed out above, everyone’s story starts with change, whether that person be a live human or a fictional character.

If we push against it and ignore it, oftentimes we pass by the greatest story that could ever happen to us.

You’re no different from any character in a book. Change happens, they fight against it, the change happens anyway. At first, the characters do everything they can to fight against the obvious disruption of their life, but then, they eventually realize what is happening and learn to embrace it.

In a story, this would be somewhere in the second act, probably around the midpoint. This is the point where the characters shift from reacting to everything that’s happening in the plot (or LIFE) to starting to take an active role in their own story. Why? Because they realize that if they ever want their life to become something, and if they ever want to achieve whatever they’ve always wanted, then they have to do something.

And so do you.

Conclusion

This post might sound more like a brain dump (then again, when aren’t my posts like that?) but I hope you’re getting the point I’m trying to convey. Story is all about change. And that’s not bad. And, just like our favorite fictional characters, we have to face that change. But that doesn’t mean we have to cower and treat it like a villain.

Instead, embrace it as the hero. Change is inevitable. Change is hard. But it’s the hard things that better shape who we are.

*Point a finger above* I don't know about you, but I need a reminder like this one every now and then.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out more by this talented girl here!

Allyson Jamison

Do you ever struggle with change? Have you ever felt like a character in a book? How do you embrace change? Comment down below and let's chat about life not being like we thought it should, yet everything it should be at the same time. (Or how confusing I sound at times. That works too. 😂) And don't forget to subscribe to my blog if you haven't already!

Catch ya on the flip side!

_Mac 🤎