How Do You Respond To Change?

Change. Is it positive or negative? It depends!

Change is part of the human condition. Without change, we would not progress, discover, or develop. Change is paramount to any improvements we seek.

I’m reminded of two sage sayings:

If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Many individuals want their situation to be different — but without actually implementing any real changes. For example, imagine someone voices their intentions for dramatic improvements — both personally and at their company. Within just a short period of time, they have had enough change! Their intention of extraordinary growth directly conflicted with their desire to actually make the effort to change.

How many people do you think are experiencing this exact same line of thinking? Can a person experience dramatic improvements without dramatic changes? No! We can fool ourselves into thinking that convenient, minor adjustments will result in breathtaking transformations, but this is simply not the case. I submit that slow and steady does not win the race or achieve the revolutionary results we want. But neither does that mean fast is always better.

So where do we find balance and accept the constant condition of change? No matter the situation we want to improve, there is a level of change that will create the results we desire. I’m referring to the Law of Conservation of Momentum. This law states that the momentum of an object, or set of objects, remains the same if left alone, meaning the momentum is then conserved.

Without enough force behind it, the energy we expend is absorbed back into the status quo, and the new condition is not realised. Then, because we think our efforts did not work, we often stop trying, when in fact, we just did not apply enough effort to create a new condition.

Consider the following examples:

· You want to lose weight but don’t want to change your lifestyle. You start walking 1 day a week for 30 minutes, and wonder why your weight remains unchanged.

· Your child is struggling in a subject at school, so you hire a tutor for 15 minutes a week; however, the grades don’t improve.

· You want to develop a better relationship with your significant other, so you go out for dinner once a month. The relationship does not improve.

· You want to increase your sales numbers, so you make one more sales call per day. Sales stay the same.

· The local sports team is doing poorly, so they bring in a new player. The team doesn’t win any more games than it did before they hired the so-called “star.”

What do all those examples have in common? The Law of Conservation of Momentum was at work. In each case, too little effort was being applied to make any real difference!

If you are not realising the changes you seek in your life, you are not making sufficient alterations. Dramatic improvements require dramatic change. The required level of modification will be unique to every person and situation, but there is a specific level that will trigger momentum for you.

It is very important to understand that each person applies and responds to change in a different way. This can be attributed, in part, to people’s Personal Style and level of self-worth/self-confidence, as well as their health and wellness.

When you are clear about your direction and purpose, your ability to implement change, as well as be successful in the process, increases significantly. Change, for the mere sake of change, holds little value.

Remember:

§ Change is constant; it cannot be avoided.

§ You cannot achieve dramatic improvements without dramatic changes.

§ If you implemented change but it did not result in your desired results, ask yourself:

o Was I doing the correct activities to create the desired change? If not, what are the right actions?

o Was I doing enough of the correct activities to achieve the changes I desired?

§ The precise measure of activity necessary to create your desired change is unique to every situation; however, it is very important to appreciate that everyone initiates and reacts to change differently.

§ Your natural ability to handle change should be taken into consideration, as should your level of confidence, health, and clarity of direction.

Change works with the Law of Conservation of Momentum. Unless there is enough momentum to alter an outcome or direction, the status quo will prevail. Further, expecting something different while you maintain the status quo is considered the definition of insanity!

About Ken Keis (Canada)

Ken Keis, Ph.D., President of CRG, is an expert in leadership, wellness, and life purpose and is a global authority on behavioural assessments and on how assessment strategies increase and multiply success rates. In 28 years, he has conducted over 3000 presentations and invested 10,000+ hours in consulting and coaching. His latest book, The Quest For Purpose: A Self-Discovery Process To Find It And Live It!, is available at thequestforpurpose.ca.

He is also the author of Why Aren’t You More Like Me? Discover the Secrets to Understanding Yourself and Others, and co-author of Deliberate Leadership: Creating Success Through Personal Style. He co-created CRG’s proprietary development models, and has written more than 3.5 million words of content for 40 business training programs, and over 500 articles. Ken’s expertise includes assisting individuals, families, teams, and organisations to realise their full potential and to live On Purpose!

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