Sometime change comes to you, in fact, most of the time that’s the way it is. Reacting is not the best way to manage your life but when change comes at you, it’s all you can do.
What do you do when change comes to you?
Keep calm – You gain nothing by panic. A good, well-considered response will always be better than an instinctive one. Look it over carefully. What is different? What is the same? Why is it happening? What is the cause of the change? Get you hands around it and understand its guts as much as possible.
Hold on to your principles- Don’t do anything that compromises your integrity. Sometimes change is a test of our moral compass. Will we bend our beliefs and standards to keep upright in the midst of uncertainty and challenge?
Try to get the big picture- Who is the change agent? Is it one person or an organization? Is the change part of a larger economic or societal shift?
What can you control? – Is there anything or anybody you can influence? Sometimes it can be as simple as talking to the change agent and learning a new perspective or shifting priorities. Other times there may be no one in charge, just strong forces imposing different standards.
Look for the opportunity – There are opportunities in front of us every day. We miss most of them for various reasons but a big one is that we are not looking for them. This is even truer during a time of change. Change always provides opportunities but it is easy to mss them if you respond in panic. Train yourself to think: Remember that change equals opportunity, instinctively look for the opportunity when panic strikes.
