You have probably noticed it. Change seems to be everywhere. It comes at you from every direction, politics, technology, business, relationships, and even how you see yourself. Some changes happen slowly over time, almost without you realising it. Others hit like a thunderclap, turning your day, or your life, upside down. In South Africa, the pace and intensity of change can often feel even more overwhelming than elsewhere. Whether you are running a business, trying to grow in your career, or simply navigating life in this dynamic country, change is something you cannot ignore. But here is the truth: change is not your enemy. It is your perspective on change that determines whether you feel like you are being dragged under or lifted forward.

Let us not sugar-coat it. Living and working in South Africa comes with a particular set of challenges that make change feel more personal, more intrusive, and more exhausting. You are not imagining things. Load shedding is not just an inconvenience, it affects your productivity, your finances, and your sense of control. Political shifts, inconsistent policies, and economic uncertainty keep you guessing about your next move. You see corruption, crime, and inequality, and it is easy to lose confidence in the direction things are heading.

But even in the middle of all of this, you have a choice about how you see what is happening. Perspective is everything. It is the difference between being stuck and being adaptable. Between bitterness and growth. Between burnout and resilience.

Here is what you need to understand: Change is not always good. But it is always real. Denying it, resenting it, or waiting for everything to go back to “normal” are all traps that will keep you stuck. If you live and work in South Africa, you must become skilled at working with change, not just surviving it, but working with it in a way that strengthens you rather than depletes you.

The first shift in perspective you need is this: Stop expecting change to be linear, fair, or convenient. In South Africa, especially, change often happens through disruption. Sometimes that disruption comes from a crisis. Other times it comes through new opportunities, even if they do not look like opportunities at first. You might be forced to relocate, restructure your business, shift industries, or learn how to do things differently with less. If your mindset is still hooked on the belief that stability equals progress, you will miss what’s right in front of you: the power to adapt, to reframe, and to lead despite the chaos.

The second shift: Stop waiting for change to “settle down” before you act. One of the most common traps you might fall into is thinking, “When things calm down, I’ll start that project,” or “Once I have more certainty, I’ll make a decision.” The truth is, there is no magical ‘after’ moment when the conditions become perfect. In this country, you may never get that certainty. But that does not mean you cannot move forward. What it means is that you must develop clarity not from the external environment but from your internal values and direction.

This is where having a healthy perspective on change becomes essential. When you work with people as a counsellor, a coach, or a mentor, like I have, you learn something crucial: people rarely change because the environment is ideal. They change because they decide to. You are the same. Your ability to thrive in a changing environment depends far more on how you interpret the change than on the change itself. If you treat every disruption as a reason to panic or withdraw, you will live in a permanent state of paralysis. But if you treat disruption as a signal that it is time to evolve, you will start building momentum.

That brings us to a third shift: Recognise the difference between resistance and readiness. Just because you do not like the changes happening around you does not mean you are not ready to deal with them. Emotional resistance is normal. You will feel frustrated, angry, tired, maybe even hopeless at times. That is not weakness. That is your nervous system reacting to uncertainty. But readiness is not an emotional state, it is a decision. You can be afraid and still be ready. You can be angry and still act wisely. You can be tired and still set a boundary, make a choice, or take a step forward. The perspective that serves you here is one that acknowledges your discomfort without being ruled by it.

Living and working in South Africa trains you to become hyper-aware of the environment. That is not a terrible thing. You have learned to be alert, to read people, to anticipate issues. But this awareness can also cause emotional fatigue if you are always bracing for the next problem. If you have been living in a chronic state of alertness, it is no wonder you are struggling to embrace change. Your nervous system is in self-protection mode. So, here is a fourth perspective shift: Make space to rest, not just physically, but mentally. The ability to see clearly and respond wisely to change depends on having mental bandwidth. If your thoughts are always racing, if you are obsessing over worst-case scenarios, you will burn out. Create rituals of pause, small moments in your day where you are not consuming news, solving problems, or trying to make sense of everything. Just breathe. Just be. Perspective lives in the space between reaction and response.

Now let us talk about identity. Change often threatens your sense of who you are. If you are a business owner and your market disappears overnight, you may feel like your identity disappears with it. If you have always seen yourself as competent and in control, and now you are facing uncertainty and difficulty, your confidence can take a hit. That is why the fifth shift in perspective is this: Detach who you are from what you do, or what is happening around you. You are not your job title, your revenue, your social media following, or your comfort level. You are more than your outcomes. When you anchor your identity in something deeper, your character, your values, your ability to stay grounded under pressure, you become harder to knock down.

If you want to succeed in South Africa, you need what I call a resilient lens. This does not mean you pretend things are fine when they are not. It means you train yourself to look for what is still possible. You learn to spot opportunities inside the disruption. You stay alert to what you can influence, even when much of what is happening is beyond your control. You do not let pessimism become your default mode of thinking, because you understand that hopelessness is not realism, it is just another form of surrender.

A resilient lens also helps you reconnect with others. Change can be isolating. It can cause you to shrink into yourself, cut off contact, or become cynical. But your ability to thrive through change is multiplied when you stay connected to others who are also trying to grow. Build relationships with people who are purposeful, values-driven, and honest. Not people who are living in denial, and most importantly, also not people who feed your despair. Collaboration is a force multiplier, especially in a country like South Africa where communal effort has often been the source of our greatest progress.

Finally, do not underestimate your own capacity to lead through change. Leadership is not about having all the answers or ‘being in charge’ of others. It is about taking responsibility for your energy, your perspective, and your behaviour during uncertainty. When you take a calm, focused approach to change, other people notice. Whether you are aware of it or not, you influence the people around you. Colleagues, clients, family members, even strangers, they are all watching how you handle difficulty. You might not feel like a leader, but your response to change can give others permission to be braver and more grounded in their own response.

So, where do you begin?

You begin by checking your perspective. Not once, but regularly. Ask yourself: What story am I telling myself about this change? Is it helping me or paralysing me? Am I focusing only on what I have lost, or am I also noticing what I could gain? Am I acting from fear or from clarity?

You will not always get it right. That is okay. Perspective is not about perfection. It is about giving yourself a more useful lens through which to interpret what is happening. It is about creating mental space between the change and your response to it. It is about becoming the kind of person who does not just survive change but shapes it. And in a country like South Africa, where change is not just possible but inevitable, that perspective might be the most powerful tool you have.