We often hear that people are “resistant to change”, and yet as a friend of mine is fond of saying “all we are is change”.
At a molecular level, about 98% of all atoms in our bodies are replaced every year1. Even faster than that, half of all water molecules are replaced every 8 days1 and that accounts for 70% of our body mass.
At a higher level, we have circadian rhythms2 that are the physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle. Most living things have a circadian rhythm and humans are no exception. All through the day, we are experiencing changes in hormones, energy levels, temperature, and appetite.
When we look at the work we’re doing or how we’re doing it, it’s almost never the same thing twice. Even in the rare case that we’re being asked to solve the same problem, there will be new constraints or the technology will have changed.
We may resist change being imposed on us but change itself is a fundamental part of what we are.
All we are is change.
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“The Fleeting Flesh”, Time Magazine, Oct 11, 1954 ↩ ↩2
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“Circadian Rhythms”, National Institute of general medical sciences ↩