Change and How it Affects Us

By: A. Lotufo

Change is extremely terrifying. Whether it’s new beginnings, or things which are ending, I’m sure we’ve all had a situation where we were fearing the unknown.
So, while searching on how to begin this article, I came across a rather inspiring figure. A cognitive scientist who had not only done an incredibly interesting TED Talk, but created a podcast, “A Slight Change of Plans”. Maya Shankar interviewed people around the world who have had unexpected changes and setbacks to greater understand how we respond to change.
Maya Shankar began her journey as cognitive scientist after suffering an injury which prevented her from playing the violin. She would play violin every day after school, waking up at 4 in the morning to go to Julliard on weekends. She was being mentored by an incredible musician, and one day, while playing, she heard a pop in her finger. Little did she know, that would change everything.
In her TED Talk, “Why change is so scary — and how to unlock its potential” she talks about the “identity paralysis” some people go through. After not being able to play the violin, she didn’t know who she was anymore. She then told us about other people she knew who had gone through the same thing.
For her podcast, she interviewed a woman named Christine Ha. If you’re a MasterChef fan, you might know who she’s talking about. Christine Ha was diagnosed with a condition in her 20s which made her gradually lose her vision. At the time, she was learning to make her favourite dishes from her childhood. She was extremely frustrated every time she couldn’t cook an egg without burning it, cut an orange correctly, and more. But she eventually learned that cooking used much more senses than she thought. She learned to use her sense of smell and the sounds of the sizzling pan to her ability and to make sure that she wasn’t getting anything wrong. When she did get things right, they became a glorifying achievement.
Christine eventually found it more of a thrilling challenge, rather than a chore, to cook. She decided to go on to MasterChef (Season 3) and she won. Now, she owns 3 restaurants in Texas and is known as “The Blind Cook”.
Both Christine and Maya could not have become the successful people they are now if they hadn’t been faced with their changes. Christine couldn’t have become a MasterChef winner and owner of 3 restaurants if she hadn’t found cooking more of a thrill, which wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t lost her vision. Maya couldn’t have started a podcast, become a cognitive scientist and had a TED Talk if it wasn’t for the injury she suffered when she was 15.
In her TED Talk, Maya talks about the 3 questions she has found which turn scary changes into evolution tools.
The first question is “How might this change what you’re capable of?” Christine wouldn’t have become an incredible cook if she hadn’t experienced her condition. She used change as a tool to become even better than before.
The second question is “How might this change what you value?” Sometimes we are valuing the wrong thing, and when we turn to what we really should be valuing, happiness falls into place.
The third and final question is “How might this change how you define yourself?” Maya used to think of the violin as a part of her, as who she was. After suffering her injury, she became a different person and the way she thought of herself changed as well.
So, in the end, change can be utilized for so many things. Change can be a chance for you to develop and have an even better experience. So, maybe change isn’t all fear. Maybe we are looking at change the wrong way. Maybe change might be a crucial step for us to becoming the best, happiest versions of ourselves.