Transformation vs Change

I was thinking the other day about this and had a good realisation when I was listening to this particular Indian mystic on YouTube, Sadhguru. He defined that transformation and change are two very different things.

Transformation means nothing from the old should remain. Change on the other hand means you’re just altering your habits. He likened it to a rose bud that blossomed into a beautiful rose. That is TRANSFORMATION. You don’t say the bud changed into a flower. Or a cocoon doesn’t change into a beautiful butterfly.

So I thought about all the things in nature that had the same effect. From flowers to butterflies and to hatchlings and seedlings, who knows what else; it is true that nothing of the old should remain. The butterfly did not look like a cocoon after it has transformed. The rose did not resemble a bud after it has transformed. In fact, they look totally different.

I think the same should happen to us if we want to live our lives to the fullest. Each moment or milestone in our lives, some kind of transformation should happen within us. Are we blossoming? Are we open? Are we expanding?

Or are we still incubating in our cocoon? Or are we still trying to hatch from this shell? Or are we still trying to break away this seed?

Everywhere I look, I see people at different stages of growth and transformation. Some are trying to break open. Some have just blossomed. Some are unapologetically proud of their rose despite the thorns around them.

I, for one, am still a seedling that have broken away from its seed, and taking in as much light and love from around me. That much I know is true at this stage of my life.

I could see this clearly when I met up with my ex-colleagues yesterday. Gone were the days when I would to try to fit in and just sit around trying to find my ground there. I realised I can grow anywhere and with the right intention, I can be an amazing and majestic tree or a spectacular flower. This stemmed from the awareness in me about how I want to experience life - full strides in full-fledged fashion or just half strides each time.

I guess I am where I am because I didn’t want to stay the same until the day it all ends. I want to experience this wonderful life in many ways. And to do that, I realised by changing my habits is simply not enough. I’ll need to transform my inner being.

To be fully open and not just less closed in. To be fully aware and not just having selective awareness. To be fully conscious and not just having less compulsions (also to be fully aware when I’m compulsive). To be fully accepting and not just to be less biased.

It’s a challenge for me but to know where I’m heading helps. So each time when I realise I’m in the same rut again in its very early stages, I’ll jolt myself in a way that springs me up. I’ll imagine how amazing life will be versus how boring and sickening it will if I don’t do anything. That then changes my mood and my choices.

So, if you’re reading this, I just want you to know that transformation is possible. I’ve had a taste of it and it feels damn good. My goal is to keep transformation a constant in my life because that would mean that I’m growing and expanding. My wish for you is that you can experience some kind of transformation and let that be your guide each time you find yourself falling through the cracks.