Adapting To Change Should Be Natural

 Adapting To Change Should Be Natural

I noticed that the leaves on most of the trees in the woods where I often take my dogs have started to change color. Normally, they are green but during the autumn season here in eastern Canada, they start to turn into shades of red, yellow and orange. This is a regular seasonal¹ occurrence in my part of the world as entire forests turn into colorful places of beauty that attracts lots of photographers.

This is also the time of year when many foreign tourists visit the provinces of Ontario and Quebec here in Canada just to see our ‘fall colors’ which usually last from about late September to November. The leaves soon fall off the trees leaving the forests with a bare look except for the coniferous trees (Christmas trees) that maintain the same appearance all year round.

The trees change through the autumn season as they prepare for our long Canadian winter. Once the winter is over, the trees will start growing leaves again as the temperatures warms up in the springtime. Although considered a novelty to most tourists, these autumn changes are part of regular life each year here in Canada.

Constant Change In Our World

Change, of course, is now considered to be regular in our fast-paced world. Technology changes at lightning speed which can result in jobs lost. Skills and knowledge that we have will require updating on a regular basis now just so that we don’t become outdated². It is certainly not like the old days anymore when we can just learn a certain skill or trade and expect to use that same knowledge for the rest of our working careers.

For example, any auto³ mechanic trained ten years ago who has not upgraded his skills will not be able to service new model cars because of all the new technology that has been put into them, particularly all the electronics. Even highly scientific professions like medicine are not immune to the effects of change. Doctors have to attend medical conferences to keep updated on all the latest diagnosis⁴ methods and treatments of diseases.

Many people working in manufacturing jobs are at risk of being replaced by robotics so if these people do not upgrade their skills, they would certainly be out of work. Fragile economies and recessions certainly do not help in these situations as we have seen countless⁵ number of layoffs⁶ due to company downsizing over the last few years.

Learn From Nature’s Examples

Change itself can be quite scary but we should learn from nature — because change is natural. Change has been happening in nature since the beginning of time. Even our ancient human ancestors had to acquire new skills in order to survive through the different seasons, much like the trees do with their changing leaves. Adapting to change in our modern world should be viewed as a natural thing to do. Learn to embrace change as it forces you to learn new skills.

Attend conferences or seminars in your fields of interest or take upgrade courses or even programs on areas you have not even been trained in yet. Learning new languages would be perfect examples of this. These serve to not only make you successful in your career and life, but also to keep you successful despite the ever changing future. Adapting to change prevents you from becoming obsolete⁷.

Share how you have adapted to change below in the comments area.

1 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

2 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

3 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

4 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

5 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

6 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

7 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。