in many ways - temperamentally, in our likes and dislikes, habits.... .As life's experiences touch us, some pass us by, some stain us, some cut us deep making grooves where there were none, some enhance us and lighten us, some bring about deviations, some add finer lines in different directions to existing ones...and so we all change...
While some of us cope well, some of us find it difficult mainly because those around us go 'but you weren't like this!' or 'this is something new?!' or 'why are you changing now?' or 'you're becoming very different'.....
It's taken me this long to realize that we actually don't need to hide, or negate, or dilute, or reject out of hand these changes that are taking place in us - we need to celebrate them. And hope that people who have known you 'forever' will also accept, appreciate, and celebrate these changes. (I'm not too sure what will happen if they don't - guess, like Scarlet O'Hara says, 'We'll think about that tomorrow.' But on a serious note, that is something we'll have to deal with, without selling our souls.)
Changes may include bad ones - but then that's a risk one has to take because no one ever said only good things will or can happen. In any case, bad change always gets knocked out!!!! hard, sometimes!!!!!!
So, first things first, let's do a checklist on ourselves first, and see where we've been trashing ourselves just to gain acceptance, and then take it on from there - we really need to respect the fact that we change, or we wouldn't be alive...