Embracing Change: A Valuable Lesson in Life
Life is a journey and it is through its progression that we learn and are shaped into the people we are today. Lessons learned come in many shapes and sizes, from taking a large gamble with little to no payoff, to small, everyday experiences with great reward, and everything in between. It is both from triumphing over obstacles and admitting defeat that we can look back and gleam the lessons from the experience. As every event has the potential to teach us a lesson, it can be difficult to point out a single, most valuable one, but I am going to share one recent event in my life, that I believe illustrates just that.
The event takes place within the context of my employment and a project I have been working on. The company I have been working with, is a non-profit organization that works with instructors and those in need, in the prevention and correction of the actions of alcohol and drug abuse. Their primary focus is educating those so that they can become more aware of the real life consequences of their actions. The aim of the project was to improve the classroom learning material, supplementing with computer based learning, to increase the effectiveness of the teachers’ ability to teach the material and participants to learn. It was my role in the team of graphic designers and programmers to put the finished product together. It was in this position as a software developer that I learned the value of embracing change.
The night before the product was to be unveiled, some last minute changes were suggested. The majority of the development team was hesitant to go though with these changes, myself included. The addition of complex features had the potential to make us miss the deadline. In the end however, I conceded and stayed up all night and into the morning to go ahead an implement these changes.
Thankfully, on the day of the demonstration, everything went well. In fact, the users of the new program were amazed by what we were able to put together. Beyond pencil and paper, the physical and visual aspects of interacting with a computer and seeing what effect the participants actions could have on their real lives played out in front of them, brought to them a sense of emotion that they had not felt before. It was specifically, the change that had been made the night before that had the most impact on them. By putting in the little bit of extra effort, foregoing my own personal hesitations, and to see the reaction, it really opened me up to appreciate the value of change.
Small changes in my life, while the effects may not be immediately evident, can lead to great reward. There may be risk associated, but such is the journey of life. This particular experience really opened my eyes in realizing that. Whether it’s changing the type of light bulbs I use, changing the way I study for an exam, changing the way I eat or exercise, I realize now that all of these small changes in my life can have a great impact on my future.
