From Green to Gold

Break out the sweaters, sort through your scarves and move the L.L. Bean boots to the front of your closet. Fall is amongst us. Although the leaves still hang on the trees in their usual shade of green, you can always tell it’s fall when the breeze turns brisk and a light jacket becomes a necessity. It’s arguably the most beautiful time of the year and one of the few perks of living in Ohio. The change of season is something that we sometimes take for granted. We naturally prefer certain seasons to others, but there is beauty in the simple essence of change. If Mother Nature is capable of something so mysterious, are we as human beings, also capable? I understand that we all mature as we grow older (hopefully), but I’m talking about substantially changing who we are, such as our characteristics, beliefs and actions. Are we born and raised and eventually find our certain shade of green that sticks with us for the rest of our lives, or are we capable of turning gold?

I’ve personally always found comfort in the idea that I can wake up each morning and be whomever I want. Changing yourself is as simple as making a decision and sticking to it, right? However, I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve tried to stop procrastinating on schoolwork, be more affectionate, change my religious opinions, stop overthinking things, have more confidence, be more open with my emotion or even wake up at 6 am to go workout. There are certain characteristics that are engrained in my identity. No matter how hard I try, I always revert to my original ways. I’m stuck in the green. I know it’s possible to change and I’ve seen people do it dozens of times, but how?

The first step is realizing that well-established patterns aren’t leaving over night. A leaf doesn’t turn red and fall off the tree in eight, short hours. The beauty of fall lives in the slow progression of color. If we truly want to change ourselves, we must accept and understand our flaws and the desire to change them. According to the Huffington Post, a study done by the University of Illinois found that people’s personality traits and daily behavior tends to change in ways that align with their goals for change. They explained, “Goals led to change in behavior, which led to changes in self-concept, which prompted more behavioral changes.” In other words, if you’re willing to reach a self-realization, set a goal that will help you grow and develop, and undoubtedly trust that you are whoever you believe you are, your shade of green will slowly and wonderfully turn to gold.