The Buddha taught that one of the most common causes of suffering is the unrealistic expectation that things will not change. Sounds simple—maybe worth a head nod or a casual “yeah, sure”—but pause and really sit with that.

It’s not that some things will change. It’s that everything will.

Change is guaranteed in every corner of life. Just as you settle into a routine, something disrupts it. Just as you get the hang of parenting a 3-year-old, new challenges emerge at three and a half. Think you’ve faced your last health scare or career pivot? Think again. It’s coming—maybe not today, but eventually.

Here’s the truth: change isn’t the problem. Our resistance to it is.

Most of us spend our lives building comfort and stability like we’re wrapping our world in a pretty bow. We work hard to get a stable job, dial in our health, manage our emotions—all with the subconscious belief that there’s a finish line where we’ll never have to struggle again.

But life doesn’t work that way.

I, for one, love change. I switch up my hairstyle, my facial hair, my wardrobe—anything that reminds me that evolution is natural and necessary. And when something in my life feels stagnant, I don’t hesitate to blow it up and start fresh.

Because just like breathing in, we must also breathe out. We must let go. As Master Choa Kok Sui teaches, “Life is a series of grasping and letting go.” If we try to hold on too tightly—whether to routines, relationships, jobs, or even ideas—we invite suffering. When we flow with life’s cycles, we suffer less. We adapt more. We grow faster.

​So here’s your nudge: