When the Hits Keep Coming: How one man turned anger into a new way of living

Lessons on Resilience and Renewal in Times of Relentless Change

I was having an online conversation with a man in his early seventies, Peter, who told me he felt that “the hits just keep on coming.” In times of accelerated change, it can feel exactly like that — as if the world keeps moving further away from everything we thought would never change.

Peter was especially angry about one of those changes, so I told him it sounded like stage two of the five stages of loss: anger. “But at the end,” I said, “you will discover a new perspective — a new way of dealing with it.”

I added, “If you wanted to, you could even use what you’re going through right now to prepare yourself for future ‘hits’ that might come. That way, each new change doesn’t knock you down as hard.”

“Yes, that would be great,” Peter said. “But how would I go about it?”

I explained that it would take an inner shift — a new approach to life that helps us adapt to a changing world instead of constantly resisting it. For many older people, change is difficult. But Peter was open, and curious about how he might grow.

He told me, “In the years I have left, I don’t want to spend my time fighting the world or grieving every change. But I also don’t want to become numb — which is what will probably happen if I keep reacting in the old way.”

That’s when things started to shift. Peter began experimenting with small changes in how he responded to the world. And he told me something beautiful: it not only eased his sense of loss, it made him more active in his neighborhood again. For a long time, he had tuned out. But now, with this new approach, he realized his true nature wasn’t about tuning out at all — it was about tuning in.

Many people today feel the same way Peter did. If you know someone who is struggling to find their footing in a changing world, pass this story along. Sometimes just hearing that another way is possible is the first step. Or, if they’re curious to explore this kind of approach for themselves, they can reach out to me.