Change is always with us. Every moment creates the opportunity for change. I have always suggested that the best change is the one I create for myself. So true! This is when I get to decide what the change is in every detail. Makes is so much more doable!
Change comes at us from everywhere. When I make a small personal change it impacts others in ways I may not have considered. For example, when I decide to go to work a half hour earlier, I find myself bumping into my spouse's routine for getting ready as well. Now we are both trying to use the mirror at the same time. This can increase tension, make one of us late or cause one of us to forget something that is otherwise routine.
Every change has an impact, a consequence. Today we are facing monumental changes from the world around us. We don't have a lot of say in these changes. We may not even understand most of the reasoning behind them. We have no (or very little) control as to how they will roll out and over us. This makes for feelings of fear on many, many levels.
What, then, can we do? What can help us to deal with these changes and all the impacts coming our way? I see many possibilities.
First: Get educated and talk with others about what you know and don't know about the changes coming.
My workplace change has to do with healthcare reform. We are beginning to learn a number of impacts. We will sustain some brutal budget cuts in the year ahead. The Medicare payment system will be overhauled and effective as of October 2010. There are many facts and factors revealed to us now. And there are many more that have not yet been settled.
As we talk about the changes, we may at first react with fear or anxiousness. Then we begin to plan. We look at how we can respond to the changes and continue to make our work effective and meaningful. We look at how we can survive as a business and begin to prepare staff and systems for those changes. With this activity comes a feeling of control. I feel more empowered to take action instead of being caught up in negative 'reaction'.
Second: Manage your self. When news comes about a change, watch your own reaction.
Notice what thoughts come into your head. Do you tend to catastrophize? "Oh no, I'm going to lose my job and then my car and then my house."
Do you get angry? Do you feel sad? The thoughts that come into your mind lead to feelings and emotions. Once you are in emotion, it is very difficult to think straight.
Acknowledge your feelings and then put them aside so that you can 'hear' clearly and then 'think' clearly.
Maintain a sound perspective that is not clouded by emotion and past experience. This will help you to make decisions that you will not regret later. This will help you weather the storm with less negative impact on body, mind and spirit.
Third: Pay Attention. Look at how others are reacting or responding. Acknowledge those who offer ideas and possibilities for taking advantage of opportunities or ways in which to save money/cut costs. Help those who are stuck in fear. Give them constructive tasks that will support managing the changes you must deal with. Acknowledge them for staying the course despite their feelings.
Fourth: Be a Change Agent. What are you solutions? Take part in discussions for managing change in a way that is productive and not negative. Look for ways to cut costs and increase revenue in the work place. Look for ways to have fun for free. Acknowledge others for their support and ingenuity. We know that when faced with challenges, most people enjoy coming out on top of them. Use that spirit to move forward in all that you do.
Change is coming. We might just as well be a part of it rather than a victim of it.
