When Change Stops Us

Everyone resists change. Change is one of the greatest obstacles we will ever face.

We cannot move forward and stay the same at the same time. Yet we resist change.

Whenever change occurs the first question that pops into people’s thoughts is, “how will

the change affect me?” For example, if a coworker came up to you today and said, “I

just heard that the boss is laying off some people.” What would be your first response?

I bet the boss feels bad about having to do that. No, chances are your first thought is, I

wonder if it is me, I bet it is. That is human nature. In moments of change we often feel

alone or vulnerable.

It is natural to feel vulnerable, but it is what we do in that moment of vulnerability that

makes the difference.

Optimistic people will more quickly see the good in most changes and they will try to be

encouraged. The truth is there is loss in even positive changes. Even when change is

good, we often give up things that are important to us. Change will shift our attitude. It

can stop us in our paths and move our attitude.

In 2020 we were all asked to change. For some of us it was a great loss, maybe the

loss of a job, a family member, a way of life that changed and did not return. For others

it was a temporary change. Schedules were different, work life was different, and many

things we did temporarily stopped.

Honestly, for me I feel like this illustration shows what my life looked like from 2019 to

2021 (with 2020 being the rope in between). At times, I felt like someone was pushing

me on the rope to cross the great divide. The change would often deflate my attitude. It

made me feel like I wanted to curl up in a ball and cover my head until it was over.

People often avoid change because they worry about the unknown. It reminds me of

the saying; The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. When we change things, we

often live in fear because what we don’t know that makes us afraid. People often cling

to what they know, even if it isn’t the best thing to do. When we take the step to change

the only way to overcome the fear is to go out and take the step to change.

In the end the real question is, will you allow change to get the best of you, or can you

harness change and let it help make the best of you. To do that, you need to have a

positive attitude about it.

Here are some things to think about when change happens.

• Are you uncertain what will happen because of the change?

• Will it create some kind of loss to you personally?

• Are you trying to be optimistic? Optimism doesn’t always keep us positive. We

  must make the choice to choose to be positive.

• Expectation doesn’t always match fulfillment. When our expectations are wrong,

  we must choose to take the higher road.

• What action can we take when change comes? Adjust, Chameleon, Resist, Call

  to Action, Call to Change, Harness the Change- if we know the parameters it is

  easier to change

  
  

Don’t forget, when you face Change, it changes your trajectory. You will be able to

confront the change in a new way. You will begin to see life in a new way.