Change is Inevitable: How Do We Respond to It?
We all know what’s going on in the world, in some cases, even in our home towns. Everything feels so uncertain…unmoored. Things are changing rapidly and it’s all we can do to keep up.
Last night, I felt overwhelmed by anxiety and worry about Covid-19, wondering if it will affect my friends and family, how it affects my business, how it’s affecting our communities, and the world at large.
To say that this has been several weeks/months of adjustment and uncertainty is an understatement. Something I’ve noticed in all my conversations with various friends, comments and news on my social media feeds, and watching news on the television, the topic of change keeps coming up. It makes perfect sense right now, as there is nothing but change going on.
Change to children’s school schedules, work situations, living situations, food and shopping habits, how we socialize and interact with others, how restaurants are changing their business models to be solely takeout and pickup, families self-isolating within their own homes so they don’t infect other family members, healthcare workers making choices on how to help sick people and still protect themselves, businesses making preparedness plans as to what to do if an employee gets sick, mental health workers feeling the strain of anxiety-riddled clients and how to care for them, and on.
But we have to come to grips with the fact that change is inevitable.
CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
Change is an inevitable part of life. It happens whether we’re ready for it or not. We can’t avoid it and we can’t stop it. We can try, but what’s the point? It’s going to happen whether we want it to or not. I know this sounds fatalistic but hear me out.
It’s not something to be afraid of or think change is bad. In many ways, change can bring good! What makes the difference is how you choose to respond to change.
One of the secrets of living successfully is to learn to handle the changes coming our way.
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”
-John C. Maxwell, Author of The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
Everyone handles change differently. Some find it easy to go with the flow while others struggle with change immensely. Dealing with change isn’t about the change itself, it’s about your reaction to it. You can choose to stay stuck and flailing with the change or use it as stepping stone (or leap) towards growth.
When I started my branding and web design business I was terrified, excited, nervous, and unsure. I had recently accepted a position with a new company that didn’t work out the way I had hoped. Suddenly, I found myself without a job (which considering the alternative of staying at that company, I was okay with not being there). However, this meant no income, no socializing with coworkers, no work, and no purpose. (It’s funny how a job defines so much of who we are…but that’s a topic for another day.) What was I going to do?
I’ve designed websites and branding as a side hustle for years, as well as for companies where I was an employee. It was always a passing whimsical thought that maybe one day I would do it freelance and full time for myself. Being my own boss was always a dream of mine. As my wife and I talked it over, I realized I was at the perfect moment in my life to create my own change. To intentionally “pivot.”
It’s the same with many of you who may be struggling with what to do now that your job is on hold, or any of the changes that may be happening for you right now.
Maybe it’s time for you to intentionally “pivot.”
PIVOTING
A blog post I read recently by Kim Tackett on her website, was about the idea of “Pivoting” when we are required to rethink a situation. I realized this idea of pivoting is a perfect way to look at change. It’s reframing the idea of change into an action. Pivoting puts us in motion, moving us toward a new transition or development. As Socrates suggested so long ago, we should be actively looking for answers, putting our energy toward building on the new instead of fighting the old.
I, for one, do not plan on giving up to change lying down. I won’t be complacent or relaxed. I won’t let my fear of change and the unknown render me motionless in moving forward. I intend to take action. I plan to push, pivot, prepare, prioritize, proceed, ponder, produce, and persevere.
In the case of the Covid-19 virus, I refuse to let it make me into a bundle of anxiety hiding in my house and trying to shut out the world. Instead, I look for ways that I can help others who need it right now whether it’s cooking a meal for a family who is struggling and delivering it to their porch, or texting/calling/Facetiming a friend who is stressed, or helping an elderly person get groceries and essentials, or ordering takeout from a local restaurant to help them stay afloat and support their employees. There’s so much you can do if you really think about it.
I have artist friends who are doing free live art lessons on Facebook for adults and kids, others leading mindfulness meditations via video calls, people who always wanted to start a business online but fretted about it now taking the leap because they have to work from home. And still others shopping for groceries for those who are immuno-comprimised, teachers pulling out all the stops to switch to online teaching, some taking online classes to better themselves while they have the time, musician and singer friends throwing free concerts online, others knitting blankets for those in need, some doing home improvement projects they’ve been putting off, and on.
In the situations you are in right now, how can you intentionally pivot?
ACT INSTEAD OF REACT
Change is inevitable but change can be a good thing. I promise. It means we are alive and moving forward. We can choose to act, instead of react. To act is to choose your behavior based on your own needs and desires. To react is to allow outside influences to choose your behavior for you.
The truth is, we often react without thinking. It’s a gut reaction, often based on fear and insecurities, and it’s not the most rational or appropriate way to act. Responding, on the other hand, is taking the situation in, and deciding the best course of action based on values such as reason, compassion, cooperation, etc.
HOW TO LEARN TO RESPOND TO CHANGE
The main thing to learn is mindfulness and the pause.
Mindfulness means watching ourselves when something happens that might normally upset us or trigger some sort of emotional reaction. Pay close attention to how your mind reacts.
Then…pause.
We don’t have to act immediately, just because we have an internal reaction. We can pause, not act, and breathe. We can acknowledge our reaction to act out of fear and our own insecurities, then let it go away. Let it pass through your mind. Sometimes that takes a few seconds, other times it means we should go to a quiet room or place and take some time to ourselves.
When the initial reaction goes away, you can now consider what the most intelligent, compassionate response might be. We can make informed choices. We can be proactive. We shouldn’t want to be stagnant or set in our ways.
CHANGE MEANS LEARNING, GROWING, AND PERHAPS ACHIEVING SOMETHING WE NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE.
You might be surprised at what happens when you accept change. If you consciously accept the challenge something wonderful can happen. Change can be the catalyst for something bigger. Change can make you grow, it can transform you.
Change forces choices. If we embrace change, we’ll find the positive in it. But remember, it’s all in where we choose to put our focus. Even change that hits us in the side of the head as a major crisis can be full of growth opportunities — if we choose to look for them.
Many people who have weathered a serious crisis, look back years later and point to that event as a significant turning point. Most would rather not go through that pain again, but it was a key part of their growth.
Crisis can be a danger that weakens or destroys us. Or crisis can be a growth opportunity. The choice is ours.
The point is, change is life. Successfully dealing with change means choosing to grow and develop continuously. Failing to grow is failing to live.
And the branding and web design business? Getting bigger and better every day! It was the best “pivot” I could’ve made at that point in my life.
How are you facing change in your life right now? How do you deal with it? Do you choose to act or do you react? Have you pivoted in your life intentionally? If so, how did that go?
