Change..Friend or Foe?

Change is a dark stranger that on the surface scares one to death, but eventually can become your new best friend.

In my zealous state to create a blog I quickly wrote my first entry and then had high hopes of continuing each and every week.  As my few (and I mean three) followers know, there has not been a new post to read in weeks.  My plan was to follow up my beginning post with a piece on the effects of Western Bonanza on the exhibitors and their parents.  But as time rushed on, I regret the thoughts never landed from my head to the written page.

One of the key reasons is that there are changes happening with the program.  And it began my mind thinking about change.  I work in the fair industry which is on a roller coaster of revisions, especially in the state of California. At Cal Poly we are getting ready to change quarters and students are graduating beginning a new fresh start.  And then tomorrow marks my third wedding anniversary, which is a new journey that I’m still surprised I embarked down the path which was a major change.

So what is my point, well here it is in a nut shell.  Most people I know do not like change.  It scares them to death if their daily routine is altered.  Basically, surprises aren’t fun and the safety of predictability is as sacred as knowing where to find the mayonnaise in your local supermarket.  But, I actually beg to differ on this subject.  With change comes the hopes of great opportunities.

Unless we are tossed off our comfort path, we might never know there is something way greater just waiting to befriend us around the corner.  Today’s post is my simple steps for dealing with change.  There has been no great hours of research devoted just my 45 years of experiencing change.  You are more than welcomed to agree or change the list to fit your lifestyle, basically isn’t that the beauty of change anyway?

Simple Steps to Accepting Change:

1. Don’t use the bandage approach.

Ripping it off and dealing with total change can be painful and harder to adjust to in the long run.  For example, you get a new job and in your mind everything needs to be changed.  The people who your changes effect, your employees, customers, etc, need time to adjust.  Sometimes taking baby steps can actually make the process successful quickly.

2. Don’t make change just to make change.

Ever hear the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Well it isn’t and their septic will eventually overflow just like yours.  To many times we run around chasing happiness and have the grand notion that change is the secret cure.  Look for the root of the problem, then adjust accordingly.

3. Look for the silver lining… It is there sometimes you just have to sift through the clouds to find the sparkle.

Many times we encounter changes that we had simply no control over.  The most common reaction is to become “Eeyore” and respond with a downer answer and suffer through.  But I truly believe with every change the is a great opportunity to be discovered.  And the key to discovering the treasure is always within yourself.  If you sit around and wait for someone else to figure it out for you or simply had you the key to the Emerald City…well my friend it’s not going to happen.

4. When all else fails make a list.

I’m a huge believer in lists.  And not just list of things to do, but lists for everything.  I had. “bucket list” years before the movie hit the silver screen.  I have lists of things I like or enjoy, I have yearly goal lists.  Putting down on paper your thoughts in a list format can be very therapeutic.  I made a list a few years before I met Bobby outlining traits I wanted in a man, I found the list days before our wedding and I am happy to report he received 100%.

I guess one could say I was looking for a change when I started this blog.  I wanted something just for myself and would help me someday achieve my life long dream to write a book.  Changing my thought process and daily plans to find time for the blog is difficult, I must say.  But, once I complete a post I get that rush of self achievement that validates your own efforts to yourself.  And isn’t that who really controls your happiness anyway!