Fear of Change

Being a newbie can be a challenge – you are always cautious of everything that goes around you, and so unsure of what to do. You are hesitant to ask a lot of questions, lest people think you’re dumb. Needless to say, this feeling takes some time to disappear, depending on how people around you treat you.

I’m not talking about being a newbie at a new school, but anywhere, be it a new office, a new gym, a volunteer activity.

In the past two months, I have been a newbie two times. I completed an internship last month, and started a job right after, and let me tell you, the two couldn’t be more different.

At my internship, I felt the odd one out. No one talked to me. I would come in, do my work, and leave. In fact, when lunch was ordered no one would ask me if I wanted something as well. Not that I would have said yes; I pack my own lunch. It’s common courtesy, though, which, based on my experience, is as uncommon as common sense.

So, obviously when I started my job I was extremely guarded. I had no idea what to expect. The thought of my ‘first day’ made me sick to my very core.

What I felt, however, surprised me. The people around me were not only friendly and helpful, but they treated me just right. They greeted me with smiles, walked me through everything and told me what to expect. After my first day, I thought, is it too soon to say I love my job?

Everyone dreads change. I think it’s the fear of the unknown. No one likes to venture in unknown waters but it’s a harsh reality that nothing is constant in life except change. However, no matter how much you try to be open minded towards it, change has a way to always make you anxious. But you know what they say: change in inevitable except from a vending machine.


To read a slightly different version of this same article, click here.