How To Accept and Embrace Change Positively in Work and Life
Change is a fact of life
It’s easy to live when everything around you runs smoothly, predictably, and with clock-like regularity. You keep doing things as you’ve always been doing, stuff falls in place, everything’s in order, and there are no surprises or unpredictable situations.
But life is what it is, and change is an integral part of it, whether you like it or not. Heraclitus said it right, “The only thing that is constant is change.” Refusing to accept change will only get you stuck and prevent any chances of progressing forward in life.
What does change involve
Change can occur on various levels in your life, both work and personal. There can be a change in your job, working conditions, way of working, co-workers, city, neighborhood, and friends.
Then there can be a change in your financial situation, health, mental and emotional well-being. You can also make some tough calls and take decisions that can prove to be life-changing.
Change is often slow and occurs over time, so you don’t notice the shift. For instance, your views and outlook on life, your likes and dislikes, your taste in dress, food, music, books, and other things are constantly in a state of transition, and you don’t usually notice any of it.
Hence, change involves adjusting or replacing your actions and behavior, which then become the new normal.
Why do people fear change
Many people fear change even when they are fully aware of its benefits and it pretty well that it’s in their best interest.
The reason is not difficult to understand. They see change as something that will disrupt their everyday life and force them to do what they’re not accustomed to or inclined to do.
Fear of the unknown, anxiety and uncertainty associated with the new setup, and a sense of losing control are other reasons that make people dread change.
Many people play the ‘what-if’ and worst-case scenarios in their minds and therefore want to keep themselves away from anything that even remotely threatens to jeopardize their life.
For some, the whole process of learning new things makes them feel unsettled. They get distressed at the prospect of moving away from the sense of familiarity and safety to uncertainty.
“Blessed are the flexible, for change is inevitable. To fulfill our true destiny as spiritual beings, we must trust our divine power to adapt.”
— Anthon St. Maarten
Most people oppose change when it comes from someone else. They feel it is being imposed on them. A sense of being forced to accept new things, places, working ways, or changing their lifestyle, behavior, habits, or choices is annoying for them.
Why is change so important
Many people dread change and would go to any length to oppose or resist it. However, change is good for you for a variety of reasons.
Here are the positive aspects of change:
- It allows you to learn new things
- It makes you more adaptable
- It allows you to experience new things
- It broadens your mental horizon
- It helps you to grow and evolve
- It can shape the person you become
The change also helps you step out of your comfort zone and explore newer possibilities. It opens up your mind to new ways of thinking and enables you to tap your full potential.
How to convince yourself to accept change
Avoiding change just for the heck of it can prove to be costly. If you aspire to do great things, you must muster the courage and coax yourself to adapt to new ways of doing things.
“If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river.”
— Anthony Bourdain
Here are five easy ways to embrace change and make it work for you.
1. Make it slow
Many times, it’s not the change per se that you resist but the idea of having something new in your life that makes you uncomfortable.
In such a scenario, give yourself time to process what’s happening and let the change sink in. Acknowledge your worries and fears. Have an inner dialogue and address all the issues and concerns, questions and thoughts that cross your mind.
This will help you a great deal in tackling the anxiety associated with change and enable you to understand that change is good for you.
2. Talk it out with others
Do not let fear of change stand in your way of pursuing your goals and accomplishing what you desire.
Get out of your head and reach out to others. Members of your support group or those involved in the change process can help you examine the process of change and give you an insight into the nitty-gritty.
You will better understand the importance of embracing change, weigh the pros and cons and foresee the implications of rejecting the new and sticking with the old.
The brainstorming sessions can also help address your concerns, fix problems, alleviate anxiety, and make you feel more relaxed and receptive to accepting change.
“A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.”
— Chinese Proverb
3. Break it down
Many people fear change because they conjure a disruptive state in their mind and visualize it as something that turns their life topsy turvy.
Hence, whenever you want to bring about a change in your life, don’t thrust it upon yourself all of a sudden. Take it slowly, break it down into steps, and plan to go one step at a time.
Begin with the easiest thing and align yourself with the newer adjustments and ways of doing things. Once the ball starts rolling, you can then take things forward from there.
“The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.”
— Kakuzo Okakaura
4. Avoid making it forceful
Don’t make embracing change a do-or-die thing. Change should be anything but forceful if you want to incorporate it into your system effectively and effortlessly.
Try to be gentle with yourself. Adopting a flexible approach and allowing yourself a trial period can be of great help. Also, keep an open mind and give yourself the option of continuing with the shift or reverting if you find the change unsuitable or difficult.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
— Alan Watts
5. Shift your mindset
Embracing change entails a change of mindset from negative to positive. Instead of regarding it as something disruptive, think in terms of its advantages.
A detailed discussion with family, friends, or colleagues can bring to your notice the various benefits of embracing change you had been missing.
Once you gain clarity about the positives of change and are convinced about the advantages of embracing change, fear and resistance will die down. You’ll have a sense of making a conscious choice to accept change and will be willing to experiment with the new setup. This will make you more mindful and enthusiastic about adapting to the new settings.
In Conclusion
We’re living in fast-changing times where adaptability and embracing the new are essential to success.
Change is everywhere and affects all aspects of your life in some way or the other. To refuse change is thus to deny the basic fact of life.
“The world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions, including yours.”
— Ken Hakuta
In life, you always have a choice. You can choose to change yourself with the circumstances and seize newer opportunities to achieve greater heights or cling to the status quo and lose out on priceless chances of growth and progress.
Change is never easy; hence you have to make efforts to get yourself to embrace it and make it a part of your life.
Learn to see the change positively and view it from the perspective of fresh chances and possibilities to advance your work and personal life.
When change is inevitable — and is primarily for your good — accept it gracefully and make all efforts to use it to your best advantage. It will not only enrich your life but also help you become your better self.
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
— Charles Darwin
Dr. Roopleen is the author of ‘And So Can You’ and From Average to Awesome
