Change is Good (but it’s also hard)
By: Gloria Stitt
Tags: Women In Business, Entrepreneurship, Small Business, Change, Moms

Gen X’ers have grown up being told, ‘change is good; and I actually believe that to be true. However, let’s not misunderstand what ‘good’ means.

‘Good’ doesn’t mean it’s easy. As a matter of fact, I would argue all change is hard, especially as you get older and are so set in your ways. Hard because the change forces you to rethink how you do things and adjust habits. So why is change good? Because we all need to be jolted out of our routines sometimes so as not to settle into complacency. That complacent place can actually be draining, meaning over time take away that ‘pep in your step’. Going through life in a robotic way isn’t healthy IMO. So the good comes in the form of trying new things, thinking new ways, and seeing things differently. It’s a burst of energy.

Some changes are small, seemingly insignificant, others monumental. I would like to think that the Pandemic has taught us how to differentiate the two. As someone who has always embraced and accepted ‘change’, the Pandemic reminded me of all the opportunities change can bring. It also provided a real-life teachable moment to show my children that we can’t always control the changes but we can 100% control how the change affects us. It hasn’t been easy, and we don’t need to revisit that. However, it did teach them that change can be good, sometimes necessary even if we don’t feel that in the moment.

So why this talk of change? Because once again I am making a change. For me personally, it is actually pretty monumental. My family and I have decided to move out of NYC. For those that know me, I am the quintessential born and raised New Yorker. I never ever thought I would ever leave my city. But it’s time. There are so many reasons that prompted this change. The main one being we became empty-nesters a little ahead of schedule. And so, next stop? Miami! Yup, this Cuban American is heading south. I am excited. So many family and friends live there. It’s a fun, vibrant city. Great restaurants, culturally diverse, incredible arts and entertainment scene plus you get the beach.

I do feel a little guilty leaving my Big Apple. I feel like I am abandoning her when she needs me the most. But I alone can not fix her right now. It will take time for NYC to get back to her Pre-Covid glory. This is not like 9/11. During the aftermath of 9/11, we came together as one. It was our local tragedy and we could draw from the strength of this city and its natural energy to come back stronger than ever. The world seemed to have our back. But COVID has taken its toll on us all, globally, and so the recovery is different, it’s harder and it is draining.

I will always be a New Yorker through and through. I will always defend her to anyone who talks down about her. But COVID has dulled her spirit. The lack of music, arts, and entertainment has been especially hard and is truly at the heart of what makes this city so very special. But as I tell my children, home is 100% where the heart is and my family is my heart. Anywhere they are is ‘home’. New York is in our blood and always will be. Besides several trips back are already planned!

There you have it. Change is good, change is hard and sometimes necessary. But like anything in life, it’s how you handle and manage the change that makes all the difference. But I am not gonna lie…there will be a tear or two shed on my way out the door and when the wheels go up.