What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Why ‘change for change’s sake’ is so much harder to accept the older you get

I don’t consider myself old. But I suppose as you age, life tends to catch up with you. What do I mean? Well, to me, it seems as things change or evolve, it is often hard work just staying on the treadmill. We can all visualise the middle-aged person in the gym, who steps on to the treadmill, and as the speed steadily increases, they begin to lose rhythm and eventually fall off in complete embarrassment. For me, the analogy is so true. Now, I’m not feeling sorry for myself, just having a somewhat introspective observation. You see, like many readers my age (mid-50s), I’ve been in my profession for a relatively long time. In fact, I’ve been a part of the game for so long that, I reckon, I’ve lived through quite a series of changes. And this would also be the case in most jobs. It would seem, just when you think you are getting the hang of something, there is more change. I’m not suggesting change is a bad thing, but, through my experience, the toleration of change by the average human being tends to get more difficult as they age. The adage ‘”change for change’s sake” often seems to make a lot of sense at different times, but is quickly followed with “just get with the program”. I’m not suggesting that there is anything wrong with constantly evolving and updating in the workplace, but, simply alluding to the fact that it can have a mental effect. For many of us this comes in the guise of a general lack of confidence. And this is not because we can’t do a job, but that we become nervous in backing ourselves. In many workplaces, professional or not, there are a series of key performance indicators that tend to judge individuals in the work climate. And despite not being intentional, this results in many older employees feeling inadequate in a job they have pursued for many years. Has all that experience added up to nothing? Though, in saying this, I think the workplace is really a microcosm of life in general. We are all, in some ways, slaves to modernity — constantly confronted with new things and the new way of doing things. I suppose it is more a case of how we deal with such changes — whether we sing or swim. But gee as we get older, it’s becoming ever so bloody harder. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA