Embracing Change
Posted on June 03, 2012 by Cherese Jackson, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with change. Anything not experiencing change is stagnant.
We are living in confusing times regardless of where we have come from or how we got here – all over the country, regardless of theological persuasion, geographical permanence; it doesn’t matter we are living in confusing times.
We have to take off our corporate hats and put down our “scholarly objectives” and sit down long enough to reconsider our concepts, our ideas and our philosophies. These are times we have to re-evaluate our posture and rethink our stance and recommit our strengths.
It is not so much that your goal has to change as it is that your method needs to change. You don’t have to alter your purpose but your methods do need to change from time to time that your goal might be accomplished. We have often struggled to do things that our skill set did not support and have failed to recondition our training when prior opportunities were available.
Now what?
You must now redefine your purpose, your goals and your mission – just a season of change. Anytime you go through change life becomes uneasy because people don’t know what to think about change.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with change because if you expect to grow and NOT change you have a problem – in order for you to develop and be transformed or transfigured or trans-anything something has to change in order for this to be accomplished.
You can not be intimidated because you’ve changed in some areas; it’s good to change. Don’t let anybody make you feel bad by saying you used to be this or you used to do that. You can say, yes that’s right – I’m growing.
I’m scared of people who are teaching or doing exactly the same thing they did 5 years ago – haven’t you learned anything new in 5 years? It makes no sense that after 5 years with all this technology you are still saying or doing exactly the same thing the exact same way! Sometimes we make the mistake of having our last conviction be the final one.
Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don’t have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change; and whether or not we choose to create change. The choice really boils down to this…either we manage change, or it will manage us.
Change is constant: Everything we once knew and depended on has changed and is changing, it can be overwhelming. When major change occurs, people have similar reactions of fear, anxiety, self-doubt, and a lack of control. The difference occurs in how individuals respond to change.
Change is different from transition: It is important to differentiate between change and transition. Change is situational. It is the event, such as a new house, a new job, or the loss of a family business. Transition is the psychological process one goes through in adapting to change.
Perception of the change impacts response: How one views change has a great impact on the transition. Typically, individuals view change as either opportunity or loss. Unless a successful transition occurs, change will not work. Since change is often beyond our control, it is important to focus on how individuals respond to change, or make the transition.
Deciding to make any type of change is the easy part. Getting on board with change and surviving transition is much more difficult. Why is that? Quite simply, change is instant a transition is an emotional process. We are all creatures of habit who usually resist it, and welcome routine. Uncharted waters are scary!
In the long run, however, sameness is the fast track to mediocrity. And, mediocre people won’t survive. Tuli Kupferburg said it best…“When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.” And, that is your challenge…to convince yourself that the new world you are trying to create is better than the one you’re in. Is it easy? Of course not. It takes planning, commitment, patience and courage.
The truth, of course, is that change can be a wonderful gift. In fact, it is the key that unlocks the doors to growth and excitement in any organism. And, most importantly, without it your competition will pass you by. A big part of success will be your ability to inspire yourself to get out of your comfort zone and reassure yourself that even though you are on a new path, it’s the right path, for the right reasons.
Never allow your first set of convictions be considered the final decree – always stay current and fresh so you will be operating in the “present truth”.
See Ya At The Top,
Cherese Jackson
