Making Friends with Change

"Tis impossible to be sure of anything but death and taxes!' This is a quote misattributed to Mark Twain, but actual was written by Christopher Bullock in his 'Cobbler of Preston' (1716), but in my opinion, Mr. Bullock (bless his heart) left out one thing, change. As inevitable as death and taxes, we humans will face change regularly. It happens at home, at work, in neighborhoods and communities. Sometimes change is desired, but in many cases it's feared and avoided at all cost!

I don't know if I was born with a kernel of love for change or what, but I also haven't always found it easy to face changes. Change is both exciting and fearful at the same time because it opens us up to the dark world of the unknown. My love of change is tied mainly to the excitement of something new and different; something that makes me think and see life in a new way, but oh that fear! That lingering feeling that if I embrace the dark unknown cloud of change popping up, it will surely spew rain, thunder and lighting all over my world! Early on in life, I made friends with the idea of change. Here is a list of highlights about what I did and still do today to help me remain an agent of change.

Choose
When change is looming large on the horizon, I always remind myself that I choose. That's right, I choose to either think of the change as the dark unknown or as the exciting opportunity to do something familiar in a fresh, new way. To be okay with change, change your thinking and choose excitement over fear.

Question
Be sure to ask all the questions you can think of, without beating a dead horse at the same time. Ask a question once. If the answer received isn't exactly what was desired you can rephrase once for clarity, but if the answer still isn't what is desired, leave it alone. Change sometimes requires experience to fully understand the need and importance of the change.

Build Experience
When faced with changes, remember that those who are making you aware of the coming change, probably don't have the authority to make the changes stop. They will depend on you to embrace the new ways and make a successful transition. If a great attitude has been chosen and all of the questions have been asked it's time to jump in and start building experience. The nice thing about changes in the workplace is they level the playing field. Everyone else is in the same boat and has to work through the newness.

This is a very basic list, but one that can easily be remembered. The attitude is a personal choice, questions unasked will go unanswered and nothing beats experience to make a change feel like a comfortable place you love. So, next time the office manager wants to change some process try these tips and let me know how it goes. Until then, stay cheerful!!