WEEKLY FOCUS
Embracing Change & Adapting Effectively
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Change can be unsettling…Many people just prefer the status quo…It’s comfortable and what we know! Why do things differently and even consider putting ourselves outside of our comfort zones!
The term “creatures of habit” comes to mind, hence the resistance to change. Consider the speed of change just in our own lifetimes. Space travel…Electric cars…Driverless cars…Medical science. We marvel at and enjoy the benefits: yet when it’s us having to change and for many, the shackles come up and we bristle…We have always done it this way!
To grow and develop we must change…Business and human beings…Once we embrace the change we can start to adapt and move on.
Once we accept that change is inevitable, we can then learn to embrace change and all the new opportunities. Instead because we resist change it means that we can sometimes go through life without ever living up to our full potential or even recognising hidden talents that we have never been allowed to uncover.
There are occasions, where change can be more about the individual. It may perhaps be a change that we wish to make and to rid ourselves of an unwanted habit (refer to last weeks focus). No different to dipping your toe in the water…It’s easier to jump in! Think of all the positive reasons for the actions, the longer-term benefits and similarly rid yourself of any negative thoughts or habits.
Change is far better when we decide to make it, before the change has an impact on us. Consider the opportunities around you. The world is full of endless possibilities. It is inevitable that at certain points in our lives that we will all experience change. Far better that we become used to adapting and moving through the change cycle by making our own changes…Start to adapt and develop.
Fear of failure is a common issue. 99% of the time the failure never happens. “I don’t know what I even worried about”! While it is natural to have some feelings of unsettlement, we perform at our best when nerves and excitement combine…We create adrenalin- something that we all need to perform! Embrace change.
In the workplace, speak with your colleagues and don’t be afraid of discussing with your Line Manager. Everyone will either be going through similar change or the feelings of change, and collectively all the answers will be within the team. Change when tackled together can be fun…in isolation, it can be more daunting.
Always look forwards and never back, know where you are going and embrace the moment.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”
Socrates