Catching Up with Change- Why the World Feels Different—and What to Do About It

Finding Your Rhythm in a Fast-Moving World

Have you ever looked around and thought—when did the world start moving this fast? One minute you knew how things worked, and next, your phone is smarter than you are, your kids are talking about careers that didn’t exist five years ago, and the news sounds like a foreign language.

If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. Every generation hits a moment where the rhythm changes, and they have to learn a new dance.

Last week on the Understanding Cycles by Momafey-HT podcast episode, this Week’s Focus is on “When the World Changes Faster Than You Do: How to Find Your Place in a New Season. Are You in Step with Your Generation—or Stuck in the Last One?” we explored what it feels like when the world changes faster than you do—and how to find your footing in the middle of that shift. Today, we’re going to go a little deeper. Because these changes aren’t just personal. They’re generational. They’re global. And they’ve been happening since the world began. Let take a look at how the change world impacted a multigenerational family.

Let me tell you a story about the Johnson family.

The Johnson family had roots in Mississippi. In the 1930s, Grandma Louise grew up in a world powered by factories, sewing machines, and faith. Radios carried gospel choirs through their kitchen windows while her brothers fixed Model Ts in the front yard. That was her America—faith, work, and family. Life moved slow enough for you to think before you spoke and dream before you leapt.

Her son, Charles, came of age in the 1950s. He was a Baby Boomer—the TV generation. He watched the moon landing, marched for civil rights, and fell in love to the sound of Motown music and Sam Cooke. The world was shifting again—technology, television, war, and protest. The values of his parents still guided him, but he wanted something bigger. He wanted choice.

Then came his daughter, Denise, a proud member of Generation X. She grew up in the age of rock and roll, soul music, and early computers. She typed her first job applications on a typewriter and sent her first emails in her twenties. Denise learned early that survival meant staying flexible. The workplace was changing, parenting was changing, and identity was no longer something you inherited, it was something you defined.

Now her son, Marcus, is Gen Z. He doesn’t know life without Wi-Fi, streaming, or social media. He’s skeptical of institutions, connected to the world, and constantly redefining what success looks like. He’s grown-up hearing about AI, climate change, and equality—and he’s not waiting for permission to speak up about any of it.

Four generations. Four different rhythms. One family is learning, again and again, how to find their place in the changing seasons of life.

And if we zoom out, that same story is playing out across the world.

The 1920s and 1930s brought the age of mass production, automobiles, and radio. Society learned how to move faster and think bigger. By the 1940s and 1950s, television and the space race redefined what was possible, while laws around education, labor, and equality began to shift the fabric of daily life.

The 1960s through the 1980s gave us rock and roll, soul, gospel, disco, and hip-hop—music that carried the heartbeat of a restless generation. Those decades also brought personal computing, women entering new industries, and the beginning of globalization.

By the 1990s and 2000s, the internet connected us to everything and everyone—but also made us more distracted, more rushed, and more reactive. Social media changed how we see ourselves. Jobs went digital. Industries automated. And now, as we move through 2025, we’re living in an age of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and nonstop innovation.

Here’s what that means for you—if you’re between the ages of 30 and 65, you’ve lived through more global, technological, and cultural change than any generation in history. From rotary phones to smartphones. From local jobs to remote work. From community gatherings to digital followings.

The question isn’t will the world change again. It’s will you recognize the shift before it leaves you behind?

Each generation is like a season. The Traditionalists, born before 1945, represented winter—steady, enduring, rooted in hard work and sacrifice. Baby Boomers were spring—full of renewal, growth, and social transformation. Generation X brought the summer heat—independence, innovation, and rebellion. Millennials arrived as fall—creative, connected, and redefining work, faith, and family for a digital world. And Gen Z? They are the next planting season—sowing seeds for a future that blends technology with purpose.

But every season ends. The challenge is knowing when it’s ending—and what your next one demands of you.

Here are five real-life ways to recognize a generational shift and prepare for what’s next.

First, pay attention to the conversations changing around you. When your language stops matching the times, you’ll feel it. Don’t resist it—listen and learn.
Second, watch the technology shaping new habits. What’s making life easier for others may also be your next opportunity.
Third, look at what the younger generation values. They’re not destroying the old way; they’re pointing to the next.
Fourth, check your comfort zones. If everything in your routine feels safe, you may be standing still while the world moves forward.
And fifth, stay teachable. Read new ideas. Attend workshops. Talk to people outside your circle. The greatest skill in every generation is curiosity.

Because here’s the truth—the world will keep changing. You can’t stop it. But you can choose to move with it, prepared, aware, and confident in your next step.

So, take this week to look around your life and ask yourself: Am I resisting change, or am I responding to it with wisdom?

Subscribe to Understanding Cycles by Momafey-HT on Substack.com to get more insights and resources about how these life and generational cycles play out. When you subscribe, you’ll get notifications of when each episode drops.

And if you’re a paid subscriber, thank you. You’ll always get extra insights, discounts, and free downloads as my way of saying thanks for supporting this work.

Continue with The Weekly Refresh Newsletter—your midweek dose of clarity and motivation to keep you aligned with your purpose. I’ll go even deeper on these subjects, helping you see the patterns, prepare for your next season, and move through change with grace.

Follow me on social media @momafeyht, and visit:

MomafeyHomeTraining.com for free tools, journals, and resources designed to help you thrive in every season of your life.

Until next time—keep your eyes open and your heart ready. Your next season is already unfolding. Don’t miss it, instead get ready for it.

Footnotes (Sources):

1. Pew Research Center: Generational Definitions and Characteristics (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z).

2. Smithsonian Institution: American Innovation Timeline (1920–Present).

3. U.S. Department of Labor: Historical Shifts in Workforce and Technology (1940–2020).

4. The Brookings Institution: Generational and Global Economic Trends.

5. MIT Technology Review: Key Technological Advances and Social Impacts (1980–2025).