“Change is inevitable; personal growth is a choice.” (Bob Proctor)

I think that Life, the authentic one, is a sum of changes. The absence of change, or immobility, generates a state of survival. A comfortable condition, more or less well-tolerated, yet not happy.

I lived for years surviving, settling for what I had achieved until then. But at a certain point, I realized that I was dying out, I no longer had enthusiasm or passion. Then I understood that change is the key to a happy life, more complicated perhaps but more authentic!

Why don’t we easily accept change? Because of fear. Because we have to find the courage to take a new path or simply to accept that there are obstacles to overcome.

COVID-19, or more simply Corona, has thrown this truth in our faces: life is made of change, and now more than ever, we are called to answer this call. At this point in our lives, we must change; otherwise, we will be forever prey to fear and despair and lead a faded life, a mere survival.

“The first step doesn’t take you where you want; takes you away from where you are.” – Alejandro Jodorowsky

A popular Native American legend helps us understand how to accept change and helps us take flight.

How many times have we been at a crossroads? Do we spend our days thinking: risk or no risk? Deciding to interrupt a love story that no longer is true, changing jobs, moving to another city, etc., are all choices that bring joy, pain but above all, difficulties. We have to learn to face them, just like the eagle does in the beautiful Indian folk legend. Life is terrific chaos, and we cannot always stay in our comfort zone; at some point, we have to make a difficult decision to continue living and flying.

The Flight Of The Eagle: The Legend

A popular Native American legend says that the eagle lives to be 70 years old, but for that to happen, around the age of 40, it must make a difficult decision. At this age its claws are long and flexible, and can no longer grasp the prey it feeds on. Its beak, elongated and pointed, curls. The wings, aged and weighed down by the much-enlarged feathers, point against the chest. Flying is now stressful. The eagle has only two options: let itself die or face a painful process of renewal, 150 days long.

If he decides for the second option, the eagle then flies to the top of a mountain and retreats to an inaccessible nest, leaning against a rock face, a place from which he can return with a safe, flat flight. Here the eagle begins to slam its beak into the wall until it detaches, bravely facing the pain of this operation.

A few weeks later, a new beak grows back. With this, it tears off the old claws one by one, heedless of the pain. When the new claws grow again, by using claws and beak, she tears all the feathers from her body, one by one.

When the new feathers are reborn, the renewed eagle launches into the flight and starts living again for another 30 years.

What does this legend teach us?

The process of change and renewal of the eagle is very similar to what can happen to any of us. There come times in life when it is necessary to change, to be reborn. Without fear, challenges must be undertaken, even if this involves a moment of transition that is never without pain. But without this change, we cannot become what we want to be.

However, we often give up and do not question the choices we made previously. We do not even do so if modifying them would be beneficial to us. This “resistance” to change is explained by many with the Monty Hall paradox.

The Monty Hall Paradox

Change is scary, even when it is the most mathematically correct choice.

Monty Hall is the pseudonym of Maurice Halprin, the host of an American game show in which it was a question of which of the three doors was hidden a prize.

Imagine playing this game: there are three doors, behind one hides a car, and behind the others a goat. We choose one door, let’s say the number 1, and the game leader, who knows what is hidden behind each door, opens another, let’s assume the 3, revealing a goat.

So he asks us, “Would you like to choose number 2?” Would you like to change your original choice?”

Let us immediately remove any possible doubt: the mathematically correct answer is yes. We should change. The chances of success, victory, would increase.

Why? This video explains it very clearly: Monty Hall Problem – Numberphiles

Monty Hall’s paradox clarifies two themes: on the one hand, our readiness and flexibility to change, despite the uncertainty, our initial choices; on the other, the paradox that exists between mind and heart, in short, the conflict between rationality and irrationality.

• Flexibility to change: the chances of winning the car increase by changing doors. Translating this data into our everyday life means trying to be more aware of our choices, our decisions and their consequences, re-evaluate them, refine them almost in real-time with the changing events, to improve our situation and not only.
• Conflict between rationality and irrationality: rationality could not exist without irrationality working well. Only if we let the heart speak, the mind can express itself in all its beauty and power. In this way, we can unleash creativity, which pushes us to live in a more adventurous or more cheerful or more serene way. To each his choice! Indeed, it will take us away from the dreariness of a life poorly tolerated.

The Right Time To Change Your Life Is Today!

If you are a free spirit, claim your Free Workshop Series to learn more about how to make changes and step into the digital landscape.