Announcing Change! Irritating emails fill my Inbox. Memos cover my desk.
Take action now! However, the little voice in my head screams:
1. I’m tired of change.
2. Why can’t things stay the same?
3. This isn’t the way we used to do it.
4. I refuse to make more changes. I quit.
Sound familiar? It’s the curse of every employee and manager in the world. Escape is impossible. Change occurs at work, home, at our children’s school and in our place of worship.
I’ve accepted that despite protests, headaches and temper tantrums, change is inevitable.
Consider this your final warning! Accept change, and move forward or you’ll sink like the Titanic, clinging to the status quo boat anchor.
There is a lifeboat waiting. I reserved your seat. Join me. You’re invited to face Change!
The G-HOW Plan
Grateful: Acknowledge the good things, people and conditions in your life.
Honest: It is easier than making up lies and forgetting what you said.
Open: New experiences can be fun. Trust me here.
Willing: Temper tantrums at age 30 or 50 aren’t attractive.
Grateful:
- No less than twice a day, give thanks for what you have and for what you don’t have. Those with an ex-spouse know what I mean.
- Make daily entries in a Gratitude Journal.
- Be grateful for your health, even if it’s not great. I have a friend fighting bone marrow cancer for the second time. She fills her Facebook posts with words of thanksgiving for family, friends, doctors, the sight of a butterfly in her garden and for the cardinal’s song as he perches near her window.
Honest:
- Be truthful in all communication whether it’s written, verbal or only in thought.
- Pause before responding, especially when angry or frustrated. Restraint is wise. No apologies to make later.
Open
Remain open to new and scary experiences. Most of us fear that which we have not experienced. Remember, fear is an emotion like love or anger. It’s not a fact of life.
- Face fear. Running away is no longer your preferred option.
- Ask for help from those who’ve survived challenges.
- Celebrate success and those pesky “learning opportunities” (formerly called failures).
Willing
Be willing to face fear, take action and live to share your success. When you suit up and show up prepared to face the day, you demonstrate willingness to move from the guaranteed present towards an unknown, untested future.
Courage is found at the intersection of Fear and Faith.